Broken Bonds
by Lindsey Dylan
Summary: .:REVISED:. Her father is the last person she wants to ask for help. Turned away after crash landing in Earth, Mar'i Grayson has know where else to go. With a war on Tamaran, going back to her mother is not an option either. Unfortunately, there's only one alternative left. And she hates it. But what else can she do now that the bond she once had with her father has been broken?
1. Prologue

**Hey, guys! So, first, I'd like to thank everyone who has ever read any of my stories. Some of you may been confused as to why I am sending thanks. Well, I'm just really grateful for the all the positive feedback and all the helpful advice/constructive criticism. As stated in the Author's Note that I've posted, I have been through a lot of rough time that really did a number on me. Only a few people on FanFiction, authors that I have close ties with and ones that I actually know, are aware of what I'm talking about. However, because of our long-term friendship, I trust them to keep their mouths shout about the events that had occurred. It's more of a personal matter, but I will not lie when I say that I'm not myself anymore. It's because of these changes that I decided to make changes to my stories and revise them all entirely.**

**Anyways! Moving passed the serious of the first paragraph, I'd like to welcome everyone to the revised version of _Bereft_. As I originally planned, the ****plot will seem a bit too mature for a T-rated fanfic. I still intend for the fanfic to be mature, dark, and violent, somewhat dramatic here and a little trauma there with character-deaths and bloodshed added into the mix. Once again, I plan to start off with an estranged relationship between father (Dick Grayson) and daughter (Mar'i Grayson) and slowly build towards a closer, more loving kind of bond.**

**Since I might take a while with updates know, you guys are welcome to check out my profile if any of you are interested in reading any of my other stories while you wait. So… now that's out of the way…**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TEEN TITANS OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS! They all belongs to DC Comics/Universe and Warner Bros. I do, however, own the plot.**

* * *

**_~Prologue~_**

* * *

Mar'i groaned. Her body ached as her cheeks were suddenly flushed in embarrassment and frustration. Damian was a human, he shouldn't have been able to defeat her so easily. It hurt her ego more than the flip had hurt her body. Yet, she sighed and glared when her "mentor" offered her a hand. However, it was small acts like him helping her up that made her fall in more deeply love with him. Mar'i took his hand and stood up, wincing. "Why can't I just use my starbolts?" She groaned, resisting the urge to fire a bolt of purple heat at the wall in annoyance.

"You'll be able to use them eventually, but you need to focus on learning proper combat first." Damian's answer was always the same each time she asked, though he did use variations of the same answer every now and then. He lifted her chin with the tips of his fingers, forcing her green eyes to look into his blue ones. His calloused fingers felt rough against her smoother, softer skin. "You have to remember that you're not on Tamaran anymore. You're on Earth now. That means adapting to our customs and traditions as well as our form of combat. Tamaranean combat is more barbaric, causing a lot of unnecessary destruction… no offense. Earth's martial arts, however, is more civilized and refined, using a lot more precision and a bit of restraint in strength to prevent costly damage. After you've completed you training, you'll be able to incorporate your powers and Tamaranean fighting techniques."

"OK," Mar'i muttered, pulling Damian down for a kiss, "but all this training is already getting on my nerves."

"Don't take things so hard, we're just sparring." He rolled his eyes as he pulled away. "It's not like we're actually on the field. No one will get hurt or killed."

"That doesn't make me feel any better." She sighed.

"Combat is about controlling conflict, putting the battle on your terms." Damian stated, moving away from her. "It's not about having an advantage over it. _You_ should be the one dictating the terms to-"

"OK, I get it!" Mar'i rolled her eyes. Damian chuckled.

"Let's get started." He smirked. His body was turned to the side, his left leg in front of his right and his knees slightly bent. Damian's fists were brought up to his eye level. Mar'i mimicked his form.

Damian dropped his stance and began walking around her, constantly revolving around Mar'i in a circle. Mar'i shuddered, feeling Damian's hands on her body as they corrected and fixed the errors in her stance. "Your stance is practically everything." He stated. "With a poor stance, you're unbalanced and your opponent can easily knock you over. Time for a demonstration, come at me."

Mar'i didn't hesitate to start off with a punch. Damian, however, was quick enough to block it. He quickly dropped down and swiftly knocked her legs out from underneath. Mar'i groaned, rubbing at the back of her head. "Is it too late to change my mind and ask that you go easy on me?" She asked.

"You said you wanted to learn." Damian helped her up again. "How do you expect to learn if you don't feel the pain?"

"… Physical and mental exhaustion?" She suggested, raising an eyebrow. Damian chuckled.

"Sorry, but you put me in charge of your training." Damian shook his head. "And pain will be your mentor."

"Well, who else is supposed to train me?" Mar'i scoffed. "My dad? _As if_. Bruce? He'll probably just take me back to the Watchtower for more interrogation."

"Exactly, making me your last resort." He folded his arms. "Now get back into your stance. Remember, with a nice solid stance, you're more firm and harder to knock down. You pose more of a threat to your opponent."

Mar'i nodded, resuming her stance. Damian, once again, circled around her and inspected every inch of her body. He stopped in front of her and nodded in approval. She grinned.

"Don't get too confident just because you've _finally _corrected your stance without _my_ assistance." Damian stated. "Your stance isn't _that_ big of a factor in a fight, it's just _one_ of them."

"Whatever, can we just start now?" Mar'i asked. Damian nodded and copied her stance. They began to circle around each other, constantly rotating. Mar'i made the first move and aimed her fist at his face. However, Damian quickly turned to the side and grabbed her arm. Mar'i felt her arm bending as Damian pulled her towards him, her back facing his front. Her arm was being twisted and pulled up from the middle of her back towards her neck. It hurt like hell. She hissed.

"It looks like you're stuck there, huh?" Damian chuckled. "See what happens when you become impatient?"

"Shut up!" Mar'i huffed, blowing at the strands of hair that fell over her face.

"So I guess you don't want me to explain how to get out of a tight spot like this?" Damian gave her a look.

"I don't need your help!" She snapped, turning her head to glare at him over her shoulder. She hissed, wincing as his grip tightened.

"If you say so." Damian smirked as he placed his hand on the back of Mar'i's head. He pushed down, hearing her hiss.

"That hurts, you bastard!" Mar'i whimpered, glaring.

"What do you want me to about?" He asked. "You turned down my help when I offered it."

"God, you're infuriating." She hissed. "I'm going to kick your ass when I get out of this!"

"I'd like to see you try." Mar'i heard him snort as if it would never happen. Damian felt the Tamaranean girl widening her stance as her arm relaxed in his grip. He watched as she bent her right knee and pulled her leg up as far forward as she could. Damian winced as her foot collided with his shin, causing him much pain from the unnecessary amount of force in the kick. "Nice job getting out of that one."

Damian ducked when he saw the sole of Mar'i's shoe coming at his face. He stood back up and got back into his stance, only to turn when Mar'i surprised him with a fist. However, he failed to notice Mar'i smirking. A sudden strike to his stomach left Damian winded. He regained his composure not a moment too soon as Mar'i sent another punch towards his face. Damian easily avoided it, grabbing hold of her arm and easily flipping her over. Mar'i growled the moment she landed on her back far away from where Damian stood with a smug look on her face. "You should always be acting, never reacting." He stated. "You angry… good, but don't react. Channel that anger into-"

However, Mar'i cut him off with an audible frustrated growl. She lunged at him with a fist. Damian took Mar'i's momentum to just jump and use her shoulders for support as he flipped over behind her. Mar'i turned around to redirect her punch, but Damian was too quick and ducked. He stayed low on the ground, smirking as he knocked her legs out from underneath. Mar'i glared as she onto her back again, smacking away Damian's hand when offered to help her up. "That's it!" She snapped. "I'm done for the day."

"Training is mandatory." Damian replied. "You wanted to learn and you asked me to teach you since no one else would. That means we end when I say when we end."

Mar'i rolled her eyes as Damian threw her a towel. She quickly caught it and started wiping away her sweat. "What was it like when you were in training?" She asked, panting as tried catch her breath.

"You're asking a kid who was trained by the League of Assassins." He replied. "That should say something. The kind of training Batman puts his protégés through is nothing, compared to what I was put through."

"That bad, huh?" Mar'i blew at a loose strand of her hair before brushing it out of her face.

"You have no idea." Damian sighed. "On the bright side, blood and gore won't be a bother."

"So you wouldn't get nauseous if you saw someone suddenly be chopped into pieces and gobbled up by a bunch of hungry cannibals?" She raised an eyebrow.

"You have a very disturbing imagination, but no." He shook his head.

"Thank you very much." Mar'i snorted, grinning as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"That wasn't exactly a compliment, but alright then." Damian shrugged. She leaned her forehead into his shoulder and sighed.

"I don't want to do this anymore." Mar'i murmured.

"But you were so eager to get started." He pointed out.

"That was before I realized how much effort and hard work it required." She replied. Damian laughed and she glared.

"Sweetheart, I'm not sure if you realized this but everything requires a lot of effort and diligence." Damian stated.

"On Tamaran, I didn't have to lift a finger." She whined. "I literally had servants to actually lift my fingers for me, though my mother hated it."

"Welcome to Earth, princess." He snorted. "The planet where you work to earn money so you can eat food, which you have to cook."

"You don't need to tell me twice," Mar'i rolled her eyes.

"If you want to make phase one of training easier, you need to push your emotions aside." Damian stated.

"Then how will I use my powers?" She asked. "Tamaraneans' powers draw from their emotions."

"You're getting ahead of yourself." Damian stated. "Don't forget we have a process, and your powers don't get involved until the very end."

"I remember." She scoffed. "You've brought it up, like, a hundred times already."

"Try ten," Damian quirked an eyebrow amusingly.

"Well, it felt like a hundred." Mar'i muttered. Damian chuckled.

"Emotions are you biggest problem as of right now though." Damian pushed all funny business and playful banter aside as he cleared his throat. "You need think about what it'll actually be like on the field. If there's a hostage, you want to take out the bad guy as quickly as you can. You shouldn't take too long to think about how to get out of any tight spot you find yourself in. There's a reason I tell you to act, not react."

"And that is…?" She raised an eyebrow."

"When you let go of your emotions, you become unaware of your surroundings." Damian said. "You get so caught up that you forget about everything, leaving your enemy to carry on with whatever they were doing and make a clean get away. If you were up against a creep show like Joker, no doubt his goons will be there to hold you off while their boss does whatever. If you get frustrated and decide to take it out on them, you'll just waste your energy and they'll gain an advantage by getting you while you're down. That's why it's important you try to stay calm and levelheaded."

"I think I get it." Mar'i sighed. "So can we start actually working on the field?"

"Are you crazy?" He gave her a look. "You still haven't passed phase one of your training. What makes you think you're ready to get out there?"

"The fact that you've been such a great mentor." She pouted her lip and looked at him through her dark, thick, curly eyelashes.

"That would work on any other guy, but I'm not 'any other guy'." Damian stated.

"If I recall, it did work at _one_ point." Mar'i bit her lip and smirked.

"We were drunk." He sighed.

"It still worked." She rolled her eyes as pulled Damian down for a kiss. He responded much quicker than he did when they had first kissed. Just when she felt Damian's hand cupping her face, she smirked as she subtly placed her hand on his forearm. She felt him tense up as she grasped his forearm tightly, her grip firm. Without even blinking, Mar'i had quickly thrown him over her shoulder before he could process what was even happening. "If there's one thing you taught me, it's to never let your guard down." She grinned, extending a hand to him. Damian shook his head as he grasped her hand in his. Mar'i gasped as Damian suddenly dragged her down to the floor. He smirked and rolled over on top of her.

"I also told to never you to never trust the enemy." Damian smirked as he pinned her wrists above her head and pushed his body closer to hers, preventing her from escaping. "Besides, that was a pretty dirty trick."

"I learned from the best." Mar'i smirked back.

"When did I ever use the power of seduction for anything?" He snorted.

"I was talking about Lian, moron." Mar'i laughed. "If anything, you couldn't seduce anyone even if you tried."

"I'm pretty sure if Batman is able to do it, which I'm certain he is, then I can do it too… I wouldn't be his son if it didn't run in my genes." He grinned smugly.

"My parents are Dick Grayson and Starfire, I think it probably runs in my genes too." She murmured, relishing the warmth of his breath as it caressed her lips.

"Maybe it's more of '_contagious'_ thing, your father must have picked it up from my father." Damian leaned down closer, brushing his lips over hers.

"How about we just forget about our fathers… and focus on _this_?" Mar'i closed the gap between their lips. It was brief. Damian pulled away and stared down at her. Had she done something wrong? Mar'i couldn't tell, but the way he kept staring made her squirm underneath him.

That's when she felt it. Mar'i felt the tight grip he had on her wrists, which were still pinned above her head, suddenly loosen a bit. She groaned, relishing the sensation of Damian's hand running down her side to the curve of her hip. She shivered when the cool fabric of her uniform had brushed along her flushed skin. His hands had traveled back up, slightly pushing the neckline of her uniform down. Mar'i found it so strange that he could be so fierce and indifferent in a fight, yet so passionate and gentle whenever they had a moment like this. She also thought of it as a good thing, and an attractive quality. However, it was rare that they ever had a moment. He usually was against showing emotion or affection, even behind closed down. It troubled Mar'i greatly.

"Damian," Mar'i gasped as he nibbled lightly on her bottom lip, his tongue darting out every now and then. She parted her swollen, red lips in submission, granting him entrance. Their tongues battled for dominance before Mar'i simply allowed him to take over. "I don't think we should be doing this now." She moaned as he pulled away and began kissing along her jaw, shivering when he teased her with his tongue.

"I'm just finishing what you started." Damian smirked as he feigned innocence, leaving a trail of his saliva down her neck.

"Please," She wriggled underneath him, begging him to let go of her wrists. He suckled and bit down onto her collarbone, his lips wandering down lower and lower. He had grabbed her by the hips, pulling her tightly against him. Damian freed her wrists from his grasp and began remove the sash that had kept the shirt of her uniform from opening, slowly untying it just as Mar'i wrapped her arms around his neck. Her fingers combed through his dark black hair, tugging and pulling teasingly when she purposely allowed a finger to wrap around a lock of his hair. He growled, moving back to her neck to shower it with more attention after her shirt had completely fallen open. Mar'i was breathless, feeling the pads of his fingertips _slowly_ inching towards her lacy black bra. Her eyes fluttered shut, waiting for Damian to make his next move. She felt his warmth disappear and opened her eyes to see him move away and stand up. He was looking down at her disheveled form with a smirk. "And I thought I was a tease." Mar'i scoffed as she got up to stand.

"You are a tease." Damian stated. "If I had a nickel for every time you teased me or someone else, I'd be filthy, stinking rich."

"You make me sound like some sort of dirty, low-life, fifty-cent prostitute." She rolled her eyes and glared.

"Technically, you are a prostitute… minus the 'dirty, low-life, fifty-cent' part." He shrugged.

"I told you that I turned Eddie's offer." Mar'i's glare intensified. "There was no way in _hell_ I was going to get paid for just sleeping around… literally!"

"If we were in a much safer situation, then I would agree." Damian sighed. "However, we're dirt poor and could've used the money he offered."

"Then I'd rather die poor than die as a walking STD." Mar'i snapped.

"It would definitely be much easier if our fathers weren't such-"

"_Fuck_ our fathers, we don't need them." Mar'i waved off the subject. "We don't need their help. Besides, they don't even want us so why would they even help us at all?"

Damian was silent. Mar'i kind of had a point. He could argue that _his_ father only needed clarification on his identity and _how_ he was brought up. Mar'i's dad just didn't want her around his fiancée, fearing that Barbara either wouldn't like it or be uncomfortable about it. However, Mar'i could just point out that Batman probably hadn't done anything to clarify that Damian was who he says he is.

Damian sighed, figuring it was best to just agree with the daughter of Nightwing and Starfire. "Yeah… you're right," He replied. He led her away from the sparring area, placing a hand on the small of her back, and towards the elevator. The door slid open and the couple walked inside. The moment they entered, the doors closed and Mar'i felt butterflies fluttering around in her stomach as the elevator began ascending. _I don't need my father at all_, Mar'i thought as they reached their stop. They walked out into their living room before heading towards the bedroom.

* * *

**I have done it! I have poured everything I had into this prologue! My blood, my sweat... my tears! Now, I hope you all like it because I obviously worked very hard to write it for you all to read and enjoy. I'm really thankful to all those readers who have been avidly reading my stories and who have been waiting patiently for me to update. Once again, I thank you all so much.**

**Now, let's discuss the chapter! ****Some of you might be confused as to why I chose the write this as prologue, happy to see a little steam going on between Mar'i and Damian, but confused. I understand that usually a prologue foretells the begin of the entire story. It sets the mood, it helps the reader understand the plot before it actually takes place. Well, here's the shocker: It's actually an excerpt from a chapter that I've already written! Again, there might be confusion and maybe a little questioning but I figured that an excerpt is enough to help you sort of understand.**

**Anyways, R&amp;R! I'd be happy to take any kind of constructive criticism. It really does help, but just don't leave any flames. I don't think I'd be able that kind of negativity due to my sensitivity. OH! And I've also decided to leave the original version posted, so I guess you guys can just read that and my other stories (some of which are not very good and I advise that you don't even bother to read them because they're just that bad) while you wait for me to update. ****So see ya later, alligators!**

_**~L. Dylan~**_

**Goal: 10 Reviews**


	2. Chapter 1

**Thanks for all the reviews! I really appreciate them. Please forgive me for updating so late *gives apology brownies*. Also, please don't kill me and thank you.  
**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TEEN TITANS OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS! They all belongs to DC Comics/Universe and Warner Bros. I do, however, own the plot.******  
****

**_~Broken Bonds~_**

* * *

**_~CHAPTER 1~_**

* * *

_**Several Months Earlier...**_

A loud, pained scream pierced into the silence. A pair of green eyes snapped open. The girl ran a hand through her beautiful, pin-straight raven hair as she lifted her head. As the screaming continued, the girl rose from her makeshift bed. Her feet barely touched the floor as she simply floated toward the source of the noise. It came from behind a somewhat torn red silk curtain draped over a doorway. Just as she reached out to pull it aside, the girl flinched when a woman rushed out and nearly knocked her down. "Your Highness!" The woman blinked in surprise, bowing in respect. "I sincerely apologize if the noise has disturbed your midday rest!"

"It's no problem." The girl motioned for the woman to rise back up. The woman stood up straight. "Is something wrong?"

"Everything is fine, Your Highness." The woman shook her head. "One of the expecting mothers has just gone in labor, that's all."

"Oh... well, is there anything I can help with?" The girl asked. "Anything you need me to get or do?"

"Actually, Princess Mar'i, it seems that our water supply is running rather low." The woman replied sheepishly. "I'm afraid we cannot begin delivery until we have everything we need, and water is very much needed."

"That's not a big deal, then." Mar'i shrugged. "I'll just go talk to Mom."

Mar'i turned to leave when the woman stopped her. "Your Highness, your mother strictly told you to stay in the bunker until further notice." The woman said sternly. "I do not think she will be very pleased if she were to learn that you went out into the surface by yourself while there is a war going on and there is a chance that you'll be captured by the enemy."

"My mom is greatest warrior in all of Tamaran." Mar'i stated. "She trained me."

"Your Highness, please, if something were to happen to you out there, it would surely be held over my head." The woman sighed.

"What if I took someone with me?" Mar'i asked.

"I suppose that would make me feel somewhat at ease about the idea." The woman replied hesitantly.

"Then I'll take my sister." Mar'i said. "Savanand'r!"

A few minutes passed until a girl, who was a few years younger than Mar'i, arrived. Her curly hair was a fiery red and somewhat unruly, though not entirely, and her skin was much tanner than Mar'i's. "Yes, sister?" The girl asked.

"Come with me to see Mom, please." Mar'i pleaded. "We're running low on water."

"But, mother-"

"I know, I know, but we really need some water." Mar'i stated. Her little sister sighed in defeat.

"Very well, sister, I will accompany you to see mother." Savanand'r nodded. Mar'i smiled as they left the bunker through a hatch above them.

* * *

"I do not understand!" A large, almost plump, old man with a red bear bellowed out. "We have had the upper hand for years now and there has not been even the tiniest hint that this war will be ending soon. Why have they not yet surrendered?"

"I, too, find it quite strange." A younger man with a lean physique and the same colored hair as the older man commented. "However, Galfore, if I may, the Gordanians have been known to never give up in a fight until it has been properly won... by them, that is."

"I am quite familiar with their ways, Ryand'r." Galfore stated. "We the Tamaraneans have been known as a barbaric race. However, I am beginning to wonder who is truly the barbarians here."

"I understand completely." Ryand'r nodded. They tensed when a black blur zoomed into their tent. Ryand'r sighed in relief when it was only a raven-haired woman. "Please, Komand'r, try not to terrify us like that again."

"I apologize." She rolled her green eyes. "However, I have been listening in on your conversation. You truly don't know how stubborn the Citadel can be, do you?"

"We are full aware-"

"Whatever you have told Galfore is a mere understatement, brother." Komand'r stated. "The Citadel is cold, ruthless, and blood-thirsty. I cannot name a single planet in the Vegan Solar System where blood has not been spilled by the hands of these hideous reptilian beings. If you think the Citadel is interested in Tamaran, then you are clearly misguided."

"If they are not interested in adding to their collection, then what are they interested in?" Galfore asked. "Please, Komand'r, enlighten us."

"Tamaran is no longer of any use to them, we are nothing but a black pearl among shiny, exotic jewels." Komand'r explained. "We have forever lost our fertility, making us no longer suitable for trade either. The Citadel, as of now, is probably seeking to replace what they have lost years ago."

"And what is that?" Ryand'r asked as he and Galfore exchanged glances.

"Do not tell me that you have forgotten." Komand'r smirked while placing her hands on her hip.

"Forgive us for we are at a lost, sister." He said. Instead of further explaining, Komand'r simply looked straight into the eyes of her brother and Galfore. Her eyes narrowed down slowly, as if conveying her message.

"No." Galfore gasped, finally understanding. "Absolutely not. That shall not happen as long as I remain Emperor of Tamaran and your k'norfka,"

"It will only be a matter of time before the Citadellians ask that another treaty be made." Komand'r said.

"Your sister has already lost two of her four children, she cannot afford to endure any more pain and grief than she has already suffered over the past years." Galfore sighed.

"Forgive me for I am confused." Ryand'r clearly looked puzzled. "What is this treaty of which we speak of presently?"

"A long time ago, our _dear _mother and father handed our _beloved_ sister to the Citadel as part of a treaty to prevent further costly damage on Tamaran." Komand'r explained with an almost smug look on her face. "However, that treaty was broken when Koriand'r got away. Our planet has been at war ever since, which resulted in Tamaran becoming nothing but a wasteland."

"Then, we fight to the death." Galfore sighed, pulling aside the entrance of the tent to gaze out onto the battlefield with a crestfallen expression.

* * *

"Mom?"

"Mar'i, can we please leave now?"

"Mom!"

Mar'i and her sister flew about the tents on Tamaran's side of the battlefield. The latter was clearly terrified to be out of the bunker while Mar'i was completely oblivious and intent on finding their mother. Savanand'r flew a little behind as her speed was not quite up to par with Mar'i's. The former zoomed around, checking practically every tent, to find that they were all empty. "Mother is probably at the battlefield already. I do not believe she will be pleased if she were to discover-"

"Calm down, or you'll get us both into trouble." Mar'i gave her little sister a look. "Now, please, stop worrying and be quiet."

She listened carefully and patiently as she scoured the entire campsite. Her ears picked up on faint sounds coming from not too far. She motioned for her sister to follow as she cautiously zoomed around the campgrounds. "What is it?" Savanand'r asked.

"I hear something, now be quiet." Mar'i told her sister again as she listened in on animalistic grunts and a few cries. She approached one of the tents as silently as she could while flying. "Wait here, and don't move." Mar'i whispered. "If something goes wrong, I'll signal you to leave."

"Yes, sister." Savanand'r nodded as Mar'i yanked the flap of the tent open and flew inside.

Mar'i heard the ruffling of sheets, directing her gaze to a bed. Tangled in the sheets were a man and- Mar'i's eyes widened. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Of all the horrible things that could have happened to her, _this_ had to be it. She hasn't had a problem like this since she was eight. "Mom?" Mar'i called out, hiding her face in embarrassment and utter horror at what she had just witnessed.

"Mar'i!" Koriand'r exclaimed in surprise, practically jumping out of bed to get fully dressed while her... gentleman friend followed suit.

"Actually, never mind, I'll just-"

"No, it is quite alright, starshine." Her mother stated. Mar'i grimaced at the nickname, shielding her eyes as she looked away. "Mommy was simply trying to... remove the stress of the war. How can I be of assistance?"

_I'm sure you were doing a lot more than 'removing the stress'_, Mar'i restrained the urge to roll her eyes before shaking her head to clear away her thoughts. "We're running low on water." Mar'i replied, taking a tiny peek to determine whether her mother was decent. Her mother was fully dressed, although her hair was more than just a bit disheveled. "The women in the shelter were wondering if someone could deliver it to us."

"Water has become a bit scarce, but I shall see what I can do." Koriand'r stated. Just, then a scream was heard outside as the ground rumbled.

"Savanand'r!" Mar'i gasped as she zoomed outside with Koriand'r following. She found her little sister crouched down in ball, shaking in fear.

"You've brought your sister?" Koriand'r asked, and Mar'i could hear the distaste in her mother's tone.

"Well, K'norfka T'Reva wouldn't let me go out unless I had someone with me." Mar'i replied.

"Yes, someone other than your sister." Her mother stated. "You know your sister cannot handle being up here for too long. Just look at what has happened. She is utterly terrified. Please, take her back to the shelter at once. I shall have someone see to the shortage in your water supply."

* * *

"Glad you finally decided to join us, sister." Komand'r smirked when Koriand'r entered the tent. Koriand'r gave her older sister a look and walked to be next to Galfore and her brother.

"Has there been a recent changes to our strategies?" Koriand'r asked.

"No, our minds are elsewhere as of recent." Galfore replied. "It seems that your sister believes there to an ulterior motive."

"Behind what?" Koriand'r furrowed her brows together.

"The war with the Citadel." Ryand'r said. "Komand'r believes that the Citadel is striving for a new treaty to replace the one that was broken years ago."

"What?" Koriand'r inhaled sharply. "N-No, we cannot allow that. Not with what happened after the last treaty."

"Of course not, however just think about it." Komand'r stated. "If we are not victorious, Mar'i and Savanand'r might still become slaves of the Citadels and forced to do whatever. However, if we hand them over willing, we can be assured that they will be given the utmost care until they are sold. AS long as they do everything they're told on the ship, they should be safer than they are here."

"You do make very good points, but I cannot allow my children to be forced into slavery." Koriand'r replied. "They are all that I have left. I cannot bear to lose them too."

"You lose them either way, sister dear." Komand'r stated. Koriand'r gently bit down on her bottom lip.

* * *

"Thank X'hal!" Savanand'r sighed in relief upon their return to the underground shelter. It's gotten a bit noisy and Mar'i couldn't help but wince a little as little children shrieked in delight, babies cried, and other people chattered. The woman from before quickly approached Mar'i.

"Have you got the water?" She asked hopefully.

"No... Sorry, K'norfka." Mar'i shook her head. "My mom said someone will stop by to drop off water, though."

"Do not fret, we'll just have to think of something else." T'Reva stated. She turned and walked off, grumbling under her breath, as loud pained moans mix in with the rest of the noise. Mar'i sighed and ran a hand through her hand, disheveling it just quite a bit.

Despite all the noise, Mar'i could make out a very distinct sound: The sound of when someone walks on wood. Her eyes narrowed down as she focused in on the sound, loudly shushing everyone in the room in annoyance and frustration. Soon the entire shelter fell quiet as the sound continued, which was louder due to the sudden silence. _BAM! BAM! BAM!_

_Crash!_

The women in the shelter practically screamed when some reptilian humanoids broke through the hatch and fell down into the bunk. The creatures smirked as they stood up with a few grimaces. "It seems as though we have discovered something valuable on this barren planet after all." One of them joked sickly. "Seize them in."

The women screamed in terror while babies and little children cried as the hideous creatures began to spread out. Mar'i could feel her heart beating faster than the speed of light as sweat gathered at her forehead and her palms began to get clammy. She immediately jumped into action. Her green eyes glowed fiercely as she shot a ball of purple heat at the floor, gaining the attention of the intruders. "Don't you dare touch them!" Mar'i threatened despite her insides shaking. They laughed at her and one of them, probably the leader of the pack, smirked at her.

"You are quite the entertaining one, but enough fun and games." He said.

"I wasn't joking." Mar'i folded her arms over her chest.

"Then we shall proceed to take these people by force." He stated. His men moved in quickly as they started gathering the women into one large group. Mar'i sighed, knowing that she wouldn't be taken serious at all and that attacking would just make situations worse.

"Stop!" Mar'i said. "Please, just leave them alone. I'll give you anything you want, do anything you want, just don't take them."

"Anything?" The leader asked.

"Yes."

"Mar'i!" Savanand'r yelled at her older sister in disbelief. Mar'i ignored her.

"Who are you, girl?" The leader said.

"Mar'i, Princess of Tamaran." Mar'i replied.

"If we leave these people be, what will you give us in return?" He asked.

"Myself." She stated. "I can't give you the throne, but I'm willing to give myself up if you promise that all of these people here will be unharmed."

Just then, Savanand'r started pushing her way forward and was eventually standing at her big sister's side. "Mar'i, what do you think you are doing?" She hissed. "Are you not aware of the consequences?"

"I know what I'm doing." Mar'i replied in a whisper. "And I know what I'm doing is right."

"If you must go, then I must go too." Savanand'r stated.

"What?" Mar'i raised an eyebrow. "No-"

"I, Princess Savanand'r of Tamaran, also give myself to you in return for the lives of these people." She said.

"What did you just do?" Mar'i growled. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I refuse to let my sister do this alone, we must always be at each other's side." Savanand'r replied. Mar'i rolled her eyes, but found that she couldn't help the small smile that grace her lips. However, her smile faltered as chains were placed on their wrists and linked them together.

"Time to depart, slaves." The leader said smugly, tugging on the chain to follow. A ship was waiting for them just outside the bunker. The leader forcibly tugged on the chain again, dragging the two princesses onto the ship.

"Release the princesses or suffer the consequences!" Mar'i heard her mother bellow. "Whatever you do to them I will unleash on you tenfold."

"Your heirs gave themselves to the Citadel willingly to be sold as slaves, we will treat them with the utmost _care_ and _respect_." The leader spat. Mar'i whipped her head around to see her mother's eyes widened as her aunt and uncle tried to put her at ease. "Move it, girl!"

Mar'i was pulled forward onto the ship.

* * *

To say that the ship wasn't crowded would be a lie. There were definitely a lot of people on board, either prisoners of war or people taken from their homes. Mar'i nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard banging on the metal doors in a hall with over a hundred of them, people desperately begging and crying out to be released. It would've broken her heart if she wasn't in the same position as them now. "Your Highness." The Gordanian who brought her in growled. He removed her chains and opened a door, revealing a completely empty room. He grabbed Mar'i by the arm and flung her inside before he closed the door and locked it from the outside. Mar'i groaned when she hit the floor and got up.

"Be careful with that one." Mar'i heard him joke to another Gordanian. "She's _royalty_."

"Don't worry, I will treat her very delicately like a moonflower in bloom." The other Gordanian laughed. Mar'i growled and banged her fist in the wall in retaliation to show that she heard their every word. However, that only made them laugh even more before her captor left. Mar'i wanted to cry, but she refused to. After all, she _chose_ to become a slave. She paced around the cell until her door opened again and her captor walked inside with a set of clothes and weird looking pair of hand-cuffs.

"What's that?" Mar'i asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Your clothes." He replied, throwing them at her. "Hurry up and change. The captain wishes to see you."

Mar'i glared. "Well, I would like some privacy to change." She folded her arms over her chest.

"Fine, but try refraining from taking too long or I might have to dress you instead." He stated.

"I will make no such promises." Mar'i said as he left the cell.

* * *

_Why would they give me these clothes?_ Mar'i wondered as she examined herself in the mirror. Her new clothes were definitely very revealing, and that didn't not make her comfortable. It wasn't that Mar'i was self-conscious about her figure, because she totally took a lot of pride in her figure, it was the fact that she was wearing it in a dangerous, foreign place. Had it been different circumstances, she would have felt more comfortable showing skin.

She tried her best to cover as much of the lower half of her body, despite the fact that she was wearing a loincloth. "I thought I told you to hurry up!" Mar'i heard her captor growl. She rolled her eyes and opened the door. He immediately grabbed onto the chain that was connected to the gold collar she wore around her neck. He dragged her down the various halls, making twists and turns here and there. Mar'i's face flushed when she heard some of the guards on the ship directing their catcalls at her.

Mar'i sighed as they entered the control room. She spotted a highly-decorated Gordanian man and presumed him to be the captain. "Sir, I have brought the Tamaranean girl as requested." Her captor spoke. The captain turned around and slowly approached them, his shadow looming over Mar'i when he came to a stop. Mar'i kept her head down, finding more interest in the floor than the hideous reptiles in front of her.

"You are dismissed." The captain said. Her captor nodded and let go of the chain he dragged Mar'i by. The captain took a step closer, causing the anxiety Mar'i felt inside herself to increase. It was like an adrenaline boost, sweat forming on her body. She was practically nude and defenseless. She had massive strength, but it paled in comparison to her mother's.

Mar'i felt the captain cup her chin, spotting his scaly skin, and she was forced to look at him. He smirked down at her, as if she was some inferior being. In this case, she was. "It seems that the rumors of the beautiful women of Tamaran are true." He leisurely looked up and down her body. Mar'i stiffened when she felt one of his clawed fingers brush over her shoulder and down her arm, leaving goosebumps... but not in the good way. "I wonder if the _other_ rumors are true then."

"Depends on what you've heard." Mar'i replied, albeit slowly and hesitantly. She barely had time to blink when he suddenly pounced on her. He pushed her against the wall, a loud bang echoing out into the room. Mar'i blinked back tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. His body was pressed against hers, leaving no space between them at all. His clawed-hand brushed against her cheek as he took a lock of her fine black hair between his fingers and slowly let it fall back into place when he retracted his hand.

"I have been told many things about your kind... Mostly about their endless libido." He said.

"How do you plan on proving that rumor?" Mar'i asked confidently, though she was a nervous wreck on the inside.

"I was hoping you had come to that conclusion yourself." The captain said, caressing her neck before he rough grabbed the chain that was connected to her gold collar. With a growl and a darkened gaze, he jerked Mar'i forward and pulled her out of the control room. Her eyes widened as she tried to pull back, begging for help and to be let go. Unfortunately, no one would come to her rescue...

* * *

**I honestly have no comments about this chapter, so... See ya! R&amp;R please. No flames. **

_**~L. Dylan~**_

**Goal: 15-20 Reviews (please?)**


	3. Chapter 2

**Thanks for all the reviews! I really appreciate them and I enjoy reading all your comments. They truly make my day.  
**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TEEN TITANS OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS! They all belongs to DC Comics/Universe and Warner Bros. I do, however, own the plot.******  
****

**_~Broken Bonds~_**

* * *

**_~CHAPTER 2~_**

* * *

_**1 Year Later...**_

It was so lonely, and so cold. Mar'i could practically see her own breath, the evaporating moisture from her mouth, as she shivered violently. She sat huddled up in the corner of her containment cell, rocking back and forth on the balls of her heels. The dark circles under her eyes told of many sleepless nights and her gaunt wrists spoke of the many times she was unable to keep down her meals due to the severe bruising on her abdomen. Mar'i yawned, her eyes drooping ever so slowly.

_Don't fall asleep. Stay awake. You won't be safe if you fall asleep._

_He might come into your room again._

_Don't want that to happen again._

_The nightmares will only get worse._

Mar'i's eyes snapped open when her hand came into contact with her face. The loud slap echoed into her cell. She couldn't fall asleep ever again. No matter how much she wanted to. How much she just wanted to doze off... To be drifted off into a world that was so much better and filled with so much promise than the one she was currently in now. However, it seemed that each blink of an eye brought her back to _that night_. There wasn't a time she didn't catch a glimpse of _that night_ or hear the voices. That night... The night she was stripped of her innocence. She would never forget.

* * *

It was fairly quiet. He could hear the morning traffic from his office all the way near the top of the building. Birds chirped as the soared in the sky. The wind rustled the leaves as it rushed by, the force so strong that it made the windows creak as if threatening to blow them open.

He pushed himself out of his black leather swivel chair and walked toward a cabinet. He opened the cabinet, revealing numerous files. However, he only took out a few, moved back to his desk, and sat back down. He picked up a pen and began filling out the pieces of paper. When he finished the current sheet, he put it in a pile with the others, reached for another, and started working on that one. It was a whole process. He sat straight, emitting a professional, businesslike vibe. His face was fixed in pure concentration as he worked on those papers. The phone rang. His concentration was broken and he sighed as reached over to the land-line on his desk and picked up the phone. "Wayne Enterprises, how may I help you?" He answered, running his hand through his thick black hair.

_"Is this Mr. Dick Grayson?"_ A young woman's voice asked.

"Yes, who is this?" He said.

_"I'm Chelsea Prescott, I work for Mrs. Angelina Johnson, CEO of Crush Fashion." _She stated. _"Mrs. Johnson is hosting a charity ball to raise money to help clothe homeless children this week on Saturday and a fashion show the week after on Friday. She would like to invite Mr. Wayne to both events. Please RSVP before Thursday."_

"Anything else?" Dick asked.

"Mandatory dress code for Mrs. Johnson's charity ball is black tux and bow-ties." Chelsea replied. "Dress code for the fashion show is dress to impress."

"Alright then, I'll inform Mr. Wayne know that he's been invited and I'll call you back when he gives me a reply." Dick stated.

_"Thank you, Mr. Grayson, have a nice day." _Chelsea said before the call ended. Dick put the phone down and pressed in a few numbers on the base. He picked the phone back up and listened as the other line rang.

"Dick?" A man's voice answered.

"Bruce, Angelina Johnson's assistant called." Dick replied.

"What for?"

* * *

The nightmares grew worse each time Mar'i wanted to sleep. There were times when she wanted to cry because the nightmares were just _that_ bad. Times when she wanted to scream. It was useless though. Pointless. As if anyone would help her. Save her. They were in middle of nowhere, slowly drifting in the dark matter. There was no one within miles to hear her pleas. She had cried so much in the past that there weren't any tears left to be shed. Her voice stung each time she tried to speak, raw from all of her screams.

The nightmares were always about her first night on the ship. The first night would always be the most terrible time ever. She recalled being locked in the captain's chambers with the captain himself. She could still hear him chuckling as he sat in his big chair, taking pleasure in her humiliation. Mar'i remembered his eyes most of all. She remembered the way they looked at her as he licked over his lips and sharp teeth with his forked-tongue. It brought shivers to her spine.

Mar'i stood up, wincing in pain as she leaned against the wall for support. She limped over to the sink, where a mirror hung above it, and picked up the brush that the captain was _so generous_ to give her, as well as a few cosmetics. She ran the bristles through her messy hair, roughly brushing out the knots and tangles. With her hair reverted back to its neat state, Mar'i put the brush down and started concealing the imperfections on her with makeup. She lined her eyes with kohl and her full cupid bow lips were painted a light pink. By the time she was finished, the door to her cell opened. "It is time to go, meat." Her captor growled as he grabbed onto her chain. He pulled on it, jerking her forward. Mar'i grabbed the chain, pulling it back in an attempt to make him let go.

"No!" Mar'i shouted. "I don't want to go!"

"I did not give you the option." He glared. "If you do not follow orders, I will not hesitant to punish you the way I punished your sister. Fifty lashings for each time she decided to be stubborn."

"Let me go!" Mar'i said, letting her feet drag against the floor as he slowly, and difficulty, pulled her out of her cell. She let go of the chain, by her own mistake, and lunged at him. Her hand came into contact with his cheek, her long, _sharp,_ red-painted nails digging in his skin. He yelped in pain as her hand retracted, leaving deep scratch marks on his face. She stared wide-eyed at him as he glared at daggers at her. He released the chain from his grip and pushed her back into the cell. He slammed the door shut behind himself before he reached behind and unraveled a long black object. "I'm sorry." Mar'i pleaded, attempting to get as far away as she could from the whip that he held in a threatening manner. She heard the crackle and yelped at the searing pain on her back.

He pulled the whip back, ready to strike again, when the entire room was washed over with flashing red lights. Mar'i held onto her bed as the ship started shaking. Sirens wailed. Her captor gave her a look to say that he would return to finish delivering her punishment and left the room. When he was gone, Mar'i leaned against the door to peer out the peephole and stumbled when it creaked open. The idiot had forgot to lock it. Mar'i stepped out, staggering when the ship shook again. She leaned against the wall to support herself as she walked down the corridors. Faint screams and cries came from further down. Mar'i was unsure whether she should keep going or go find a place to hide. The sounds of feet running across the metal floors were loud and clear as green humanoid creatures dragged chained and bound people down the halls. Some, mainly women, were thrown over their shoulders, their limbs flailing as they tried to escape. Mar'i quickly turned around, deciding to go the other way when she saw there were more marching down that side as well. So, she ran down the middle corridor despite the aching in her legs.

* * *

"Mr. Wayne has accepted Mrs. Johnson's invitation to both events." Dick said. "Just email me the rest of the details and Mr. Wayne will see you there."

_"Thank you, Mr. Grayson."_ Chelsea replied. _"It was a pleasure doing business with you."_

"Likewise, Ms. Prescott." Dick stated before he ended the call. He turned around in his swivel chair to face the front of his office. However, instead of seeing the wall, a man with red hair and green eyes. He wore simple jeans with a light blue polo and white shoes. "Wally, what are you doing here?" Dick groaned. "I'm in the middle of work."

"You're saying that I can't visit my best friend whenever I feel like?" Wally replied with a mouthful of his granola bar as he lounged around one of the black leather chairs positioned in front of Dick's well-organized mahogany desk. "That's pretty messed up man. I mean, it's like if I stopped inviting you over my house for Christmas. Iris and Jai will miss their favorite 'uncle', Linda will complain about having leftovers, and I'm not going to have anyone else to hang out with because the majority of my family are all old geezers."

"OK, I get it." Dick sighed. "I'm sorry. I've been stressed."

"I can understand that." Wally shrugged. "You're getting married in, like, what? Four months from now."

"Close, but yeah." He replied. "It's not the wedding I'm worried about. I mean, I _am_ a bit nervous about the wedding. But, I don't know how to explain it. There's like this sick feeling in my gut that tells me something's going to go wrong."

"I've had that exact feeling before." Wally exclaimed. "You feel like you're about to throw up and then you get all sweaty... That's the worse."

"You know what I'm talking about, right?" Dick asked.

"I've only felt like that once in my life and that was when I got food poisoning." Wally stated. "Now, you think I'm just making fun of you, and that's partially true. However, it's close to what you're feeling right now."

"You can be a real idiot sometimes, you know that?" Dick raised an eyebrow. Wally shrugged as Dick dropped his head onto the surface of his desk.

* * *

Her mother had told her stories about a race of aliens that matched the physiology of the humanoids that were currently invading the Gordanians' spaceship. She was told of the horrible things they had done to the prisoners they had stolen from Gordanian ships. How they performed torturous experiments on their prisoners that lead to either a horrible mutation or death. They were known as Psions.

"We missed one; she's over here!"

Mar'i shrieked as a Psion nearly grabbed her by the waist. She turned around and whacked the Psion across the face with the cuffs that completely covered her hands and forearms. His eyes rolled back into his skull as his body slumped down onto his knees and fell forward onto the ground. Mar'i turned back around despite the shock of what she did. "Don't let her get away!"

She made the mistake of looking back. The number of Psions following after her slowly increased as she ran as far away as she could. Mar'i could feel her heart rate suddenly increase, the beats causing the skin under her chin to throb. Sweat formed on her forehead, not from running but from fear and anxiety. She felt as if she couldn't breathe, her chest tightening, but she kept pushing her limits and continued running until she tripped over her own feet. She tumbled through a door that had slid open upon sensing her movement and closed behind her. Mar'i quickly stood up, hearing the footsteps grow louder and louder. Luckily, there was a keypad installed on the wall near the door. Unfortunately, Mar'i didn't have access to her hands. Instead, she banged on the keypad repeatedly. Sparks flew as the keypad was damaged beyond repair. Hopefully, that would keep the door locked for the time being.

When Mar'i turned around, she knew where she was. The control room. Various beeps and buzzes filled the room as Mar'i made her way to the main control panel. She had been in the control room far too many times that everything was burnt into her memory.

Mar'i stared at the main panel. There were so many buttons in so many different colors, blinking and flashing. There were also many different levers. Her eyes focused on a yellow blinking button. "I wonder if-"

There was a loud bang and then a metallic crash. Mar'i's head snapped around as she looked over her shoulder. The door to the control room had been knocked down. The Psions began flowing into the room. Quickly, Mar'i hit the yellow button with her nose. She heard a hissing noise and then a creak. Something had opened, but Mar'i wasn't sure what. She glanced around the room, watching as the Psions were sucked out of the room through a hatch that had opened up. She blinked, trying to process what had happened. Mar'i pressed the yellow button again, closing the hatch, and pressed a red button with an orange swirl on top.

"_Initiating self-defense mode."_

Faint screams filled Mar'i's ears as whatever was happening outside of the control room took place. She could definitely hear the pain and fear. All those images of her time on the ship flashed before her eyes. It was only a year, but it felt like an eternity. Mar'i felt her cheeks grow damp and touched them with her fingertips. She pulled her hand away to discover that she was crying. Mar'i sat down in the captain's chair, shivering at that thought that person who brought constantly made her suffered used to sit where she currently sat.

The screaming stopped. It was silent. Mar'i was somewhat content. She had full control of the ship and she was free. Or so she thought. An alert popped up on a holographic screen as the entire one was lit up by flashing red lights again. She pressed the glowing cerulean button, activating the security cameras angled behind the ship. It was footage from outside. A dozen, or maybe more, ships were right behind hers, lasers perfectly aimed. Mar'i felt her entire body convulsing as her anxiety finally surfaced. She was blinded with tears as the ships starting firing their lasers. Mar'i tried her best to steer the ship despite being handcuffed. Most of the time she was unlucky. A few times she was barely lucky.

_Hyperdrive,_ Mar'i pondered, remembering the captain saying something about it once or twice before, as she looked over the control panel again. Her eyes fell unto a lever that looked similar to a joystick. She struggled to latch onto it at first, however she secured it between her biceps and pulled it upwards. Mar'i heard a load roar, meaning that she probably activated the jets, and thrust the lever forward. She fell into her seat as the ship flew at a million miles per minutes. The Psions' ships became nothing more than specks in the distance as the ship flew farther and farther away.

There was a loud explosion and a flash of light. Mar'i and the spaceship were gone. All that was left was a thick cloud of gray smoke.

* * *

A man in a green-and-black uniform saw a flash of light as a flying object zoomed passed a large building that was perched on top of an asteroid. The wailing sirens that suddenly sounded throughout the entire building as a holographic screen popped up, featuring large blue and green planet. The image changed into a close up of the flying object the man was previously looking at. It was a spaceship. "That can't be good." He commented as the people inside the building began leaving.

**_~.~_**

Dick felt as if his brain would burst as he tried focusing on getting his paperwork done while Wally watched some show on the flat screen TV that was mounted on the wall in his office. Wally sat on the sofa in front of the TV with a glass coffee table in between, munching on popcorn that he literally ran out to get. "Dick, your office is awesome." Wally said with a mouthful of salty, buttery popcorn. "You should totally invite some people to watch the Superbowl up here and throw a party."

"It's just an office." Dick deadpanned. "It's not that big of a deal."

"OK, let me just get my point across." Wally stated. "Go into any other office and nothing. Go into Dick Grayson's office, who just so happens to be Bruce Wayne's adopted son and the chief operating officer of Wayne Enterprises, and you find a flat screen HD TV with over a million channels."

"Again, it's just a TV." Dick sighed. "You get so excited over the smallest things. I know that we should always appreciate the small things in life, you know... give our daily... routines. But still..."

"Dick, this is not small." Wally gestured at the TV. "It's big and freaking beautiful. Can I take it home with me? You obviously don't appreciate it."

"Knock yourself out, just try not to break anything." Dick replied.

_"We interrupt this program to bring you breaking news-"_

"Hey, Dick, come check this out?" Wally beckoned his friend over. Dick kept his eyes on the TV as he moved to sit on the sofa next to the speedster. He spotted Wally's feet resting on top of the coffee table, sighed, and pushed them off, much to Wally's annoyance.

_"Today seemed like a perfect day. Clear sunny skies, a nice breeze, warm weather... That is, until an asteroid was spotted only miles away from Earth-"_

The phone rang, cutting off the next part. Wally groaned in annoyance while Dick dug into the right pocket on the front of his pants and pulled out his iPhone 6. Dick looked at the Caller ID: Bruce. Dick swiped the screen, typed in his pass-code on the touchscreen, and answered the call. "Hello?" He said.

_"Are you watching?"_

"Yeah, I'm watching the news right now with Wally." Dick replied.

_"It's not an asteroid." _Bruce stated. _"Don't believe what they're saying."_

"What?" Dick raised an eyebrow, sending Wally a confused look. "If it's not that, then what is it?"

_"It's a spaceship." _Bruce replied. _"From what Hal says, it looks like it's in hyperdrive and it'll be crash-landing in downtown Metropolis in a few minutes."_

"Where's Superman?" Dick asked.

_"Dealing with a problem on the other side of the planet."_ Bruce stated. _"He may be fast, but he's not the Flash."_

"What do you want me to do about it then?" Dick said. "Gotham is on the east coast, Metropolis is near Kansas."

_"Go in my absence."_ Bruce replied. _"You can brief me when I get to the Watchtower."_

The call ended before Dick could say anything else. He sighed and stood up from the sofa. Wally watched. "What happened, Boy Blunder?" Wally asked.

"Well, for starters, we're going to Metropolis." Dick replied. Wally cheered, getting dressed in a red and yellow suit with a lightning bolt on his chest.

"Finally, some action." Wally said. "Race you!"

With that, Wally zoomed out of Dick's office, leaving a trail of paper behind him. "I hope he realizes that I'll be using the Zeta-Tubes." Dick sighed.

* * *

_"Warning: Prepare for rough landing."_

She was no longer in control. The lever had snapped in half by accident and all Mar'i could do was brace herself for the landing. Besides, even if the lever hadn't break, Mar'i still wouldn't have known how to land the ship anyways. It was a lose-lose situation either way.

Still, the landing itself was rough and brutal. The contact of the ship with land caused it shake. Mar'i was thrown out of her seat, smashing and bumping into random objects and furniture. A few pieces of furniture had even landed on top of her, crushing her underneath. She couldn't breathe. Her breath came out in sharp, shallow puffs of air as the shaking stopped. She managed to crawl out from underneath the furniture that weighed down on top of her. Despite escaping from underneath all the rubble on her own, Mar'i couldn't escape from the ship when she was still handcuffed.

Mar'i heard a loud creak as sunlight shone down into the control room. She looked up as someone ripped a hole in the ceiling. A woman with black hair, dressed in a red, blue and gold outfit with white stars on the bottom, flew inside. Mar'i attempted to hide when the woman scooped her up by the arms and brought her outside. Mar'i landed on her feet. She found herself surrounded by men and women dressed in strange clothing with bold logos on their chests and wearing masks.

The woman from before landed in front of her and man dressed in red and blue with a red cape and 'S' on his chest walked to stand next to her. Standing side by side, they slowly approached Mar'i. Mar'i wanted to run, but it pointless when she was obviously surrounded. She took a step back, accidentally stepping on the back on her own long loincloth and fell over backwards. "Get away from me." Mar'i stammered, her bottom lip quivering. Her hair was in a completely disheveled state, covering her hair like a shield.

"We know you're scared, but if you just let us-" The man ignored her.

"I said to stay away from me." Mar'i growled, her voice trembling. The dark-haired woman took Mar'i by the arm, offering a sympathetic gaze.

"Please, just let us-"

"Don't touch me!" Mar'i finally snapped, shaking the woman off of her. "Don't touch me, don't come near me, just stay away and leave me alone!"

* * *

By the time he arrived in Metropolis, the members of the League were already in downtown Metropolis, completely surrounding the area. Bystanders were looking on with awe as their heroes and role models stood not too far from them. Nightwing made his way through the crowd of superheroes, stopping when he neared the Flash. "Glad to see that you finally made it, Dick." The Flash teased.

"Not everyone has super speed, bozo." Nightwing rolled his eyes behind his mask. "What did I miss?"

"Wonder Woman just came out of the ship with a girl not too long ago and Superman arrived a few minutes before you did." The Flash replied. "The girl looks completely out of it though. She's freaking out. Just look at her."

The Flash pointed at a scantily-clad girl screaming her head off at Wonder Woman and the Man of Steel. "We have it all under control." Wonder Woman announced. "There is no need for anyone else to be here. You may leave now."

As the rest of League dispersed, Nightwing and the Flash stuck behind. They approached Wonder Woman and Superman. All of a sudden they heard a strange noise coming from inside the ship. The girl had a look of pure horror on her face as a reptilian creature jumped out. It was covered in blood, some of its scaly skin falling off. It spoke in a strange language, but the girl seemed to have understood what it was saying. It reached behind itself and pulled out a whip. It approached the girl, almost lunging. However, it was tackled down to the ground by Nightwing, who took the whip and handed it to the Flash. By then, the girl had fainted and Superman caught her before she fell.

* * *

_Get on your knees, slave; I want you to feel my arousal._

_Try to keep quiet, we don't want to wake my men and make them jealous._

_Such a good slave. Perhaps I should reward you for your obedience._

_Open your eyes, I want you see the way your body reacts to me._

Mar'i's eyes snapped open as she woke up with a jolt, panting and gasping for air. She sat up, checking her surroundings. It was unfamiliar. Mar'i wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. She wasn't even sure what she was expecting to find. "Are you feeling better now?"

It was then that Mar'i noticed the woman from before was sitting at the foot of her bed. Mar'i took a good look at her. She wasn't sure if the woman was genuinely concerned or just feigning concern in order to gain her trust. Yet, there was something about the woman that told Mar'i that she wasn't going to hurt her. Mar'i wasn't sure if it was the truth or just something she was telling herself in order to calm down. "Who are you?" Mar'i asked, ignoring the woman's question. "Where am I?"

"I'm Wonder Woman, and you're in the Watchtower." She said. "You might remember it as that building you passed before you crashed your ship into Metropolis. Now, what's _your_ name?"

Mar'i didn't answer. She ran a hand through her messy black hair. Mar'i's eyes widened as she observed her freed hands and arms. She looked up at Wonder Woman, who continued to give Mar'i a warm, gentle smile. While her smile said that she was happy and peaceful, her eyes told a different story. They withheld an emotion that Mar'i felt the entire time she was on that ship: Sadness. Mar'i's bottom lip quiver and her body shook as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Months of pent up frustration and bottled tears was slowly coming undone. Mar'i latched onto Wonder Woman, taking the older woman by surprised, and sobbed into her shoulder. Mar'i felt a hand being placed on her back as another stroked her hair. "_I shall take pleasure in breaking you in; I promise to be gentle next time_." "

He lied." Mar'i muttered.

"Who lied?" Wonder Woman asked.

"He did." Mar'i began to shake all over. "He lied! He was _never_ gentle. He always wanted it rough and fast. He lied..."

Wonder Woman was silent for a moment, trying to process and put Mar'i's words together in a way that was coherent. "I'm going to ask you again: What's your name?" Wonder Woman said.

"It's Mar'i..."

* * *

**DUN DUN DUN! Well... I say this was a pretty good chapter. Not sure if I'm being honest with myself or I'm just bullshitting myself. Either way, I'd still like to hear what _you_, the readers, thought. Please leave a comment. Criticism is always appreciated, flames aren't. R&amp;R! See ya!**

_**~L. Dylan~**_

**Goal: 25-30 Reviews (please?)**


	4. Chapter 3

**Thanks for all the reviews! I really appreciate them and I enjoy reading all your comments.  
**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TEEN TITANS OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS! They all belongs to DC Comics/Universe and Warner Bros. I do, however, own the plot.******  
****

**_~Broken Bonds~_**

* * *

**_~CHAPTER 3~_**

* * *

_"It's Mar'i..."_

Nightwing wasn't sure if he heard her correctly. He continued watching Wonder Woman and the mysterious alien girl through the one-way glass. A speaker by the glass allowed him to hear their conversation. _"Well then... **Mar'i**, can you tell me where you came from?" _Wonder Woman asked.

_"The Vega System... Tamaran." _The girl replied.

_"Do you remember how you got here?" _Wonder Woman said.

_"I fainted_?" Mar'i shrugged.

_"I mean, how did you get all the way from Tamaran to Earth?" _She asked. Nightwing watched as Mar'i visibly stiffened. She turned and stood up from the bed, pacing around and shifting. _"How did you get those scars on your back?"_

Mar'i turned, giving Nightwing a good view of the multiple faint peach lines that marred her back and shoulders. Some were old and some were fresh. Nightwing could tell just by looking. _"Why are you so interested in me?"_ Mar'i muttered. _"I haven't done anything wrong. I didn't steal, kill anyone, or commit whatever crime."_

_"Yes, but it's not every day a spaceship crashes on Earth and girl is the only one found inside." _Wonder Woman stated. _"If you ask me, that entire scenario seems very suspicious to me."_

"I wasn't the only one on that ship, my sister was there too." Mar'i said.

_"We're checking the ship right now and, so far, you are the only person we found in there."_ Wonder Woman replied. _"No one else was in that ship aside from you and that reptile-thing that attacked you."_

Mar'i was silent. Nightwing could see the look on her face as she processed the information. _"But I don't- She was- Where did she go?" _Mar'i asked. _"What happened to her?"_

_"I don't know."_ Wonder Woman said as honestly as she could. Mar'i tried to smile, but it was obvious that she was hurting. Nightwing could see it in her eyes, in the way she moved about, the way she talked.

_"It's OK, I guess..."_ Mar'i shrugged. _"I was always by myself or with him. I barely ever spoke to her on that ship, I never saw her at all anyways. They probably took her away. They would have taken me too, but I was already going to the control room."_

_"Mar'i, can you tell me what happened on that ship?"_ Wonder Woman said. Mar'i shook her head.

_"Do I have to tell you?" _Mar'i asked.

_"I only want to help you get through this." _She replied.

_"There's nothing to go through anymore." _Mar'i stated. _"I did what I had to do, went through what I had to._"

_"What did he make you do?" _Wonder Woman asked.

_"He made me do a lot of stuff." _Mar'i replied. _"He would tell me to get down on my knees, take off my clothes, or lay down on the bed. He said I had to keep quiet so no one would hear me, he put stuff in my mouth just to be safe though. Sometimes, he would the other guards use me: One at time, sometimes two at a time, three, and even the entire crew. I had to listen though, or else he'd punish me."_

_"How did he punish you?"_ Wonder Woman said.

_"He burned me sometimes or I'd get a few lashings." _Mar'i sighed shakily. _"He hit me with a lot of stuff, burned me with a lot of stuff too."_

_"So how did you get from Tamaran to Earth?"_

_"I sold myself." _Mar'i stated.

_"Why?" _Wonder Woman raised an eyebrow.

_"They were going to enslave all those women and children in the bunkers." _Mar'i said.

_"You were at war-"_

Nightwing shut the speaker off, unable to listen anymore. The Flash gave him a strange look and ran up to his side when Nightwing began walking away. Nightwing was very troubled by the sudden turn of events. His daughter, who was supposed to be on a foreign planet in another solar system with his ex-wife, was actually on Earth, but without her mother. "Hey, man, what's going?" The Flash asked. "Aren't you happy that Mar'i's here?"

"Don't get me wrong, I'm excited, but..." Nightwing said. "I need time to sort this out."

"What does that mean?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Look, I just can't... deal with this right now." Nightwing stated. "Babs can't know about this. She thinks that Kory and I are history. If I bring Mar'i home with me, she's going to think that we are still involved. They never got along back then and they definitely don't get along now."

"So wait- You're just going to leave her here?" Flash said.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore, Wally." Nightwing sighed.

"Well, too bad, we're going to talk about this now." Flash stated. "Your daughter, your only daughter, has been beaten and tortured on that ship. She was raped, even gang-raped, for a year, and you're just going to abandon her after all that's been through?"

"I have to get going."

"If that happened to Iris, I'd try to find the bastard and beat the living daylights out of him." He said. "And I definitely wouldn't leave her in some building on an asteroid in space."

"Bye, Wally."

* * *

She couldn't handle being trapped in the Watchtower anymore. It wasn't worse than being on the Gordanian ship, but it was bad. She was freed from her prison not too long ago and now she reverted to feeling one again. People would occasionally check on her, bring her food and something to drink, talk to her about what happened on Gordanian ship... It was too much. She just wanted to keep the past buried.

That was the exact reason why she left when no one was watching her.

The skies were dark, making it easier for her to fly without being detected. Mar'i soared high above every building in Gotham City. She didn't know what she was looking for or where she was going, but she knew it had to be someplace far from the Watchtower. The look Wonder Woman gave her was completely engraved in her memory. She never thought she could despise something so much as being sympathized. It made her feel weak and small. She wasn't. The time she spent on the Gordanian ship may have left her a little broken, but she was still strong. Wonder Woman didn't know what it felt like to be forced to work as someone's sex-slave. It made her self-conscious and she was humiliated by the way her body had reacted. There was so much shame.

Mar'i groaned, sweating heavily as sudden dizziness overcame her. Her head throbbed madly and stomach twisted into tight knots. Mar'i found herself flying closer and closer to the ground until she landed behind a rusty, old dumpster. The whole place wouldn't stop spinning, leaving Mar'i confused and more nauseous than before. Mar'i was sure she's go cross-eyed at any second. "What's going on?" Mar'i murmured, leaning against the dumpster for support. Her breaths kept coming in short and fatigue finally overcame her...

**_~.~_**

Mar'i noticed the terrible conditions of the room as she slowly regained consciousness. When she opened her eyes, it was pitch black. Then there was light and everything was suddenly blurry. It took a few minutes for her vision to clear up before she could actually see things perfectly. The bed she laid was hardly a bed. It was just a mattress with a few pillows and some sheets. She moved to sit, pausing when the room slowly started spinning again. The moment that happened, Mar'i decided to take her time and cautiously began to stand up. When the room wasn't spinning anymore, Mar'i walked toward the door, which wasn't even a door at all. It was just old, torn purple fabric hung over the door frame.

Mar'i walked out of the bedroom and into what appeared to be run-down living room. There wasn't a lot of furniture. An old television set **(A/N: Think of the TVs people had in the 1980's) **sat on top of a long, cluttered, wooden desk with shelves and cabinets built underneath. Three wall-shelves hung over the desk, the middle shelf ready to fall off. The couch was old and ripped, the stuffing peeping through the tears. Items from the shelves under the desk poured out and scattered all around the floor. Then there was the rug. It was stained and completely covered in dirt. Then there was the lamp with a flickering light bulb. "What the hell?" Mar'i murmured, walking around the living room. She stopped near a bookshelf. It was covered with cobwebs. Mar'i ran a finger on it. And it was covered with dust too. Just like everything else.

The small kitchen was a mess too. Some of the tiles were missing and the walls were filthy. The ceiling above had a large stain on it too. The oven was rusty much like the sink. The counters along the kitchen were cluttered with dirty dishes and cooking materials. At least two of the cabinets hanging above had doors hanging off of the hinges. One cabinet, with absolutely no door, had a broken top shelf so there were some items that had fallen onto the bottom shelf and below onto either the floor or counter. But the table, stools, and fridge were all fine.

Mar'i heard something shatter and jumped. She quickly flew back into the bedroom and lay back down on the bed. Just as she was about to close her eyes and pretend to be asleep, a boy walked into the room. And he was _very_ attractive, wearing pair of slightly torn jeans and an old maroon zip-up hoodie over a wrinkled white shirt with a pair of dirty, worn out white sneakers. He was tall and perfectly pale, his skin free of any blemishes and imperfections. He had thick black hair and gorgeous blue eyes. He seemed to be older than her by a year or two. "You're not that good of an actress, are you?" He said. Mar'i sat back up.

"Who are you?" Mar'i asked, bringing her knees up to her chest. "Why am I here?"

"I found you unconscious in the alley near my building." He replied. "I brought you here."

"That's all you did?" Mar'i looked at him with suspicion.

"Yes." The boy stated.

"I find it hard to believe that." She rolled her eyes. "How do I know you didn't take advantage of my unconscious state, given my appearance?"

"Are you suggesting that I raped you?" He scoffed.

"I didn't say that, you said it." Mar'i replied.

"I'm not a scumbag." The boy stated. "I live on my own in this dump, so it's not like I can afford to get into any trouble anyways. Besides, if I were to have sex with anyone, I'd find someone more attractive."

"Excuse me?" Mar'i scoffed, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't understand why you're offended." He shrugged. "You're pretty, yes, but there are other women who are far more attractive than you. It'd be pretty easy anyways, considering my lineage."

"You're such an asshole." Mar'i spat.

"I'm just being honest." He replied. "If you can't handle the truth, how will you ever get by on this planet?"

"Please, a man's idea of honesty is telling you his real name." Mar'i rolled her eyes. "If you wanted to be honest, you would tell me yours."

"Why should I?" The boy asked as he folded his arms over his chest. "Women lie all the time too. They wear so much makeup on their face that they don't even know what their real face even looks like."

"They probably wouldn't have to wear so much makeup if guys didn't fall in love with what they see." Mar'i retorted.

"As opposed to falling in love with what they hear, right?" Damian asked.

"Look, I just want to know your name." Mar'i sighed, her bottom lip quivering. "I..."

She looked up at the boy, her eyes glazed over. Mar'i sniffled as she rapidly blinked her eyes. She watched as the boy stiffen when tears began forming. Still, he didn't utter a word. Mar'i took her little act a little bit further. She began to quietly sob, hiding her face into her hands as her back shook. "Damian." The boy said. "My name is Damian."

Mar'i smiled into her hands and began drying up her tears. She ran a hand through her hair.

"Now, what should I call you?" He asked.

"Mar'i." She replied.

* * *

"Thanks for taking me out, Dick." The woman smiled at Dick across the table. She wore a very flattering, strapless black dress that hugged her body tightly and complimented her figure. Her short red hair was let loose as she allowed it to cascade over her shoulders. She looked at Dick with flirtatious blue eyes.

"Don't thank me." Dick shrugged. "I didn't have to do it, I _wanted_ to do it."

"I'm sorry, Dick, but everything is just so fancy and _expensive_." She lowered her gaze. Dick took her slim hand into his and pressed a kiss onto her knuckles.

"This isn't expensive." Dick rolled his eyes with a smile. "Expensive would be that vintage Prada bag I gave you for Christmas two years ago while I was with Bruce in New York."

"You told me it was a knockoff!" She glared.

"We were in the middle of Fifth Avenue, I wasn't going to spend money on a fake when I could just by the real thing at the store, which was literally right around the corner." He replied. "Now that we're talking about this, remember that necklace I got you for your birthday? The one with all the two-point-five carat diamonds."

"Yeah, you got it from Macy's." The woman nodded.

"No, I got it from Tiffany's, which, coincidentally, is the same place I got your engagement ring." He chuckled when she gasped in shock, her eyes widening like saucers in shock.

"Dick!" She said, slapping his hand away playfully.

"What?" He sighed. "I love you, Barbara, and I just want to make you happy."

"I love you too, but you don't need to shower me with all these gifts to make me happy." Barbara said. "I know that it's been hard ever since you got divorced, but I'm not going to leave you. And I know she didn't plan on leaving you either, but that doesn't matter anymore. What matters now is that we're getting married soon, so... Just let loose on the gift-giving."

Dick smiled. "Fine, I'll turn it down a notch." He agreed.

"Good." Barbara smiled back. "And Dick?"

"Yeah?"

"I just want you to know that you can come talk to me about anything and you don't have to be afraid to tell me, because I won't get mad and I'll always be by your side."

* * *

Damian had left the apartment, leaving Mar'i alone. This time, Mar'i didn't have anything to worry about. She wasn't defenseless like she was when she was on the Gordanian ship. On the ship, she didn't have any means of protecting herself. She was heavily guarded because: 1) She was a prisoner; and 2) she belonged to the captain. Now, she was free. However, she couldn't leave the apartment in her current condition. Not when the League was probably looking for her and she dressed so provocatively. She didn't want to risk exposing herself.

In meantime, Mar'i waited for Damian to return. She cleaned up the apartment most of the time, clearing away the clutter and washing up the dishes. Mar'i found an old broom in the closet and began sweeping the dirt-covered floors. Everything was dusted and cobweb-free. The apartment itself still looked horrible, but the mess was gone and she had fixed whatever she could. When she was finished with all her hard work, Mar'i sat on the shredded couch in a pair of old, dark red, plaid pants and a matching button-up, long-sleeved cotton shirt. They were pretty big on her and very loose, but they were very comfortable. Her old clothes were folded up into a neat pile and placed on top of a dresser that sat across the left side of the bed in Damian's bedroom. Mar'i figured the clothes were Damian's, but she didn't care and she didn't care that he would be mad at her from snooping through his stuff and taking his things.

It was dark, the only source of the light was the TV. With the remote in her hand, Mar'i flipped through the channels. There was barely anything to watch. It was no wonder the TV was dustier than anything else. It was useless. Damian was probably busy with something else that he didn't have time to watch TV anymore anyways. So, Mar'i settled for a boring documentary on earth worms. The narrator's voice was so dull and monotonous, it made Mar'i want to sleep. She let out a yawn. Then there was a loud crash as a figure stumbled into the apartment Mar'i jumped off the sofa, turning on the lamp. She stared at the man in a black ski mask as he leaned against the wall for support. "Get out." Mar'i glared, purple balls of heat forming around her fists.

"Don't get so worked up." The man panted. His voice was familiar.

"Damian?" Mar'i raised an eyebrow.

"Who else?" He growled, removing his mask. "Now, get rid of those things before someone see them."

"These _things_ are called _starbolts_." Mar'i rolled her eyes as Damian sat down on the couch with a tired groan. He shifted and stretched his limbs, groaning even more. Mar'i sat back down. Damian finally relaxed. He dug into his pocket and a glint caught Mar'i's eyes. He pulled out a ring and held it out on the palm of his hand. "What's this?" She asked.

"Don't get any ideas." Damian rolled his eyes. "It's a hologram ring, made with the sole purpose of disguising yourself whenever you leave the apartment. Otherwise, you can just keep it off whenever you're here."

"... Thank you." Mar'i said, somewhat touched by his thoughtfulness... even though he was still being somewhat of a jerk. He took her hand and slipped the ring onto her long, elegant, slim finger. The simple act caused a strange feeling to surge through Mar'i's body. She wasn't sure what it was but it made her want to throw up... in a good way. "I don't feel any different."

"It only affects your physical appearance, nothing mentally, emotionally, or genetically." He explained. "There's a full-length mirror in the bathroom; it's right across from the bedroom."

"I know where it is." Mar'i stated as she got up from the couch, hovering over the floor. It was a habit. Mar'i planted her feet back onto the ground and walked out of the living room. She moved down the hall, entering the bathroom. She turned on the lights and turned around to face the mirror. She was a bit shocked. Her eyes were still green, but they had pupils and whites around the irises. Her skin was paler than it originally was. Her long black hair remained the same. She had a shimmer effect to her overall appearance. The changes were minor, but they still shocked her. This wasn't her. And she knew that.

* * *

**DUN DUN DUN! Well... I say this was a pretty good chapter. Not sure if I'm being honest with myself or I'm just bullshitting myself. Either way, I'd still like to hear what _you_, the readers, thought. Please leave a comment. Criticism is always appreciated, flames aren't. R&amp;R! See ya!**

_**~L. Dylan~**_

**Goal: 25-30 Reviews (please?)**


	5. Chapter 4

**Thanks for all the reviews! I really appreciate them and I enjoy reading all your comments.  
**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TEEN TITANS OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS! They all belongs to DC Comics/Universe and Warner Bros. I do, however, own the plot.******  
****

**_~Broken Bonds~_**

* * *

**_~CHAPTER 4~_**

* * *

Mar'i woke up to the sound of a door closing. She sat up in Damian's bed and walked out into living room. She spotted Damian in the kitchen with brown paper bags in his hand. He placed them on the kitchen counter as Mar'i into the tiny kitchen. "Morning." Mar'i ran a hand through her hair to tidy it up a bit. "What time did you get up? I didn't hear you leave."

"I got up at around five." Damian sighed.

"What time is it now?" Mar'i yawned as she stretched her arms high above her.

"It's exactly eleven." He stated. "I got you something to eat because I figure you'd be hungry, but I didn't think you'd still be sleeping."

"I haven't slept for a long time." Mar'i frowned. "But thank you for letting me sleep in your bedroom."

"As if I had a choice." Damian rolled his eyes. "In case you don't recall, I suggested that you sleep on the couch. However, I decided to give you the bedroom because you refused to take the couch and wouldn't stop yelling in my ear."

"I wasn't yelling, so stop exaggerating." Mar'i retorted. "Just face it, you lost the debate so I won. But, luckily for you, I'm not selfish and I'm more than willing to let you share the bedroom with me."

"That'd be like admitting defeat, unacceptable." Damian commented. "Our little debate is far from over."

"Suit yourself then, enjoy sleeping on the couch." Mar'i stated.

"To be honest, I didn't expect an alien to know about these things." Damian commented.

"I'm not exactly an alien, I was born in the United States." Mar'i said. "More specifically, I think was born here in Gotham City... Or was it Jump City? I don't know, it was something City. Anyways, I've just been away for a while. I've been living with my mom on Tamaran. My parents separated when I was eight."

"So you're Dick Grayson's daughter?"

"Yeah." Mar'i replied.

"Well, it really is a small world after all." Damian commented. "Dick Grayson's daughter and Bruce Wayne's biological son both under the same roof."

"If you're really Bruce Wayne's son, then what are you doing in a place like this?" Mar'i folded her arms over her chest.

"He didn't believe me when I showed up on his doorstep." Damian stated. "I left, but not without him taking some DNA samples. He said it was for a paternity test to confirm my identity. I knew he was lying though. He probably forgot about me anyways."

"So... are you really the real deal?" Mar'i asked.

"I wouldn't lie about that." He glared. "My mom was Talia al Ghul, daughter of Ra's al Ghul. She made me using the DNA samples she took from him. She may not have given birth to me, but I am most definitely Bruce Wayne's son."

"I guess I'll just have to believe you." Mar'i sighed. They moved to sit at the tiny table in the kitchen. Damian dug into the brown bag and pulled out two bagels. He gave one to Mar'i, keeping the other for himself. He also brought a tray with two steaming cups. "I wasn't sure if you liked coffee, so I got you some hot chocolate instead."

"Thanks; it was freezing when I woke up." She said, taking the cup on the left. Mar'i opened it, letting the steam flow out of it.

"That's because there's no heat." He stated. "Hardly anyone lives here."

It was silent. Damian sliced both their bagels in half as Mar'i took a sip from her cup. She grimaced at the bitter taste, upon realizing that it was actually coffee. Damian quizzically raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"I think I took your cup by mistake." Mar'i said. "That was so terrible. How could you drink that? It's so bitter."

Damian chuckled. He took the cup out of her hand. "I didn't put sugar or anything it, which is how I like it." He stated, taking a sip from the cup as Mar'i took the other. Mar'i could see him smirking as he drank from his cup.

"So... what am I going to do about clothes?" She asked. "I can't just wear yours all the time."

"We'll be going out with some people whom you might recognize." Damian stated. Just then, there was a knock at the door. "That must be them."

Mar'i stood up from the table and walked over to the door. She undid the locks and three girls entered the apartment. They were all extremely pretty, and they all looked to be Mar'i's age. Two of the three were redheads. One of the redheads had loose, curly, auburn waves and the other one had straight copper waves. The last girl had silky, straight black hair. "Grayson?" The girl with the copper hair looked Mar'i up and down. Mar'i nodded. The girl broke into a grin. "Hey, Mar'i, do you remember me? It's Iris."

"Iris?" Mar'i furrowed her brows together as she thought long and hard about what the name meant to her. Iris. "Iris... West?"

"Yes!" The girl nodded excitedly. "Do you remember the two girls with me?"

Mar'i recalled the days when her parents weren't divorced. They used to throw parties during the holidays, in which they invited numerous people to stay in their home. She remembered six kids always being present: three boys and three girls. Two girls with different shades of red hair, a boy with blond hair, and two boys and a girl with black hair. She remembered the girls. Mar'i included, and the boys were always separated to avoid a fight. Then, she remembered playing with dolls with the other girls. "I think... Lian and..." Mar'i trailed off, shifting in her place as all eyes were suddenly on her. "Tula?"

"Yes!" Iris cheered. "Well, it's good to see you after all these years."

"Likewise." Mar'i smiled. "Sorry if it took me a while to remember."

"You've been gone a while, it's understandable." Lian, the girl with auburn hair, said. She held a glossy hot pink shopping bag with thick, horizontal light pink stripes and gold writing in her hand. Lian thrust the bag out to Mar'i, who hesitantly took it from her. "I've brought you some clothes to wear to the mall. You can keep them though, they didn't look good on me anyways, but you might want to try them on first."

Mar'i nodded and headed toward the bathroom. She locked herself inside and proceeded to remove her current clothes. She reached inside the bag and pulled out a folded set of clothes. She slipped into a high-waist, black, pink floral-print miniskirt and pulled on a sleeveless, soft white V-neck blouse with a ruffled front. Mar'i took a look at herself while she stepped into a pair of champagne ankle-strap, platform sandals. The skirt was a little skirt, flaring at her hips, and the V-neck blouse showed a bit of cleavage, considering the fact that Mar'i had inherited her mother's bust. Despite those minor problems, Mar'i found that the outfit looked really good on her and she really liked it.

Mar'i brushed the front and back of skirt before she walked out of the bathroom. The girls were inside the kitchen, silently having a conversation with Damian. Mar'i could see the annoyed look on his face as she approached them. She sat down in her original seat across from Damian. Mar'i watched as the girls all smirked at each other, then down at Damian. Like they all knew something that Mar'i obviously didn't. As much as Mar'i hated being out of the loop, she didn't want to pry in case it was something personal. Even if Damian was a rude asshole. "How do they feel?" Tula asked. "Your clothes, I mean. Are they too small or too big?"

"They fit perfectly." Mar'i replied.

"OK, so let's get going then." Lian stated. "I have ride waiting for us downstairs."

* * *

"Was all this really necessary?" Damian groaned in frustration. He and a bunch of other men trailed behind the four girls, carrying mountains of shopping bags from all the stores they had visited. As far as he knew, they had already spent thousands of dollars buying things from all of the expensive shops, stores, and boutiques in the mall and throughout Gotham City. Designer clothing, undergarments, shoes, lingerie, accessories (handbags, scarves, sunglasses, etc.), makeup, jewelry, toiletries, designer and celebrity branded fragrances, etc. They bought it all.

Mar'i rolled her eyes as they entered another store in the mall. Like the previous ones, the clothing was definitely expensive. As they began searching through the racks and display tables, a woman dressed in all black with bouncy blond curls and pretty blue eyes approached them. "Um, excuse me?" Her voice had a thick Southern accent as she spoke. "This is a _store,_ not a playground. Unless you're gonna buy somethin', I think y'all better leave before start complainin' about you kids just loiterin' in the store."

Lian stepped up in front of her. "I'm actually looking for something for my friend." She motioned over to Mar'i. "But, I guess we can skip this store. It's not worth it. I practically already bought the entire mall anyways."

"Miss Harper!" The woman practically gasp, suddenly breaking into a grin as if she had stuck gold. "I'm very sorry about what I said. I had no idea you'd be droppin' by with your friends. It's a pleasure to have you here. If there's anything you need me to do, I'll be happy to do it."

"Great." Lian said. "Now, find me anything here in any shade of gray, blue, pink, and purple. That includes fuchsia, burgundy, slate-gray, black, and white too. Skirts, dresses, blouses, shoes, accessories, _anything."_

"Yes, of course, Miss Harper." The woman stated. "For now, you and your friends can wait inside the fitting room."

* * *

"Finally." Mar'i sighed in relief as they walked back into the apartment. Damian had left the mall before they did, stating that he had something to do. However, he didn't leave until after his phone had vibrated. It had Mar'i a little suspicious and uneasy. Something in her gut told her that something was about to go wrong. And her gut was never wrong. After he had left, Mar'i and the other girls continued to roam about the mall and Gotham.

She flicked the switch by the door and there was light. The girls kicked off their shoes and removed their coats. They sighed in relief as their aching feet padded along the wooden floors. Iris carried a box of pizza and laid it down on the kitchen counter. "I thought we'd never get done." Mar'i commented as she shut the door and did the multiple locks. When she turned, she was amazed by what she saw." X'Hal..."

The apartment looked much better than it did before, and it was much larger. The old, dirty walls were painted over with beige paint. The living room had expanded and the old furniture was replaced with new ones that were of high-quality and extremely expensive, but much more trendy and urban-chic. A flat-screen HD TV was mounted on the wall above a fireplace with two mahogany shelves placed on both sides, stuffed full will newly-purchased DVDs, CDs, books, and other objects. A white sheep skin rug was draped over the new wooden floors of the living room, which were waxed, and extended a few inches away from the fireplace. A mahogany and glass coffee table sat between the off-white sofa and the fireplace.

The kitchen had been remodeled as well. Like the living room, the kitchen had also expanded quite a bit. The floor were replaced with marble tiles. The small table, which used to seat only four, was now able to seat eight and made of cherrywood, draped over with an off-white tablecloth. The kitchenette had been transformed into a stainless steel, high-tech, state-of-the-art kitchen. "What did you do?" Mar'i asked.

"Let's just stay _Extreme House Makeover _decided to pay your apartment a little visit." Lian stated. "A dingy apartment like before wasn't fit for two people to live in, and, after everything that you've been through, you deserved a nice home and some pampering. So, while we were out shopping, we hired some people to knock down a few walls and fix up everything. We've also designed secret escape routes and tunnels underneath in case, for some reason, you had to leave. All your clothes have been hung and folded in the bedroom."

"You didn't have to do this." Mar'i stated.

"We wanted to." Tula replied. "You are our friend. You may not have remembered us, but we remembered you."

"Thank you." Mar'i gave them a teary smile. "Thank you for taking me out. I haven't enjoyed myself since... well, I can't remember the last time I've ever enjoyed myself as much as I did today... except when I was little."

"It's no big deal, honestly." Iris said. "We just hope we can be best friends again like we used to."

"I'm hoping for that too." Mar'i nodded. They entered the kitchen and sat down at the table. Iris opened the box of pizza and the girls sighed in delight as the aroma filled the air. They chatted happily as they ate.

* * *

"See?" Barbara told Dick as they walked into a Chinese restaurant in downtown Gotham. A gold sign decorated with flowers and interlocked greed dragons was mounted on top of the building. It read: The Jade Garden. "I told you Bruce would've given you a vacation if you just asked him."

Dick smiled as they approached a young, beautiful woman standing behind a mahogany podium. She gave them a white toothy smile as they stopped in front of her. "Mr. Grayson, welcome to the Jade Garden, so nice to see you again." She greeted them. "How many are in your party?"

"Two," Dick replied.

"Would you like to be seated at a booth or table?" The woman asked.

"A booth is fine." He stated.

"Alright, follow me please." The woman motioned couple to follow her as she swift took out two menus from the podium. She began walking as Dick and Barbara followed after her. She led them to a booth. The woman set down their menus on the table and they sat down. "Someone will be with you to take your orders."

"Thank you," Dick nodded as she walked away. They began looking through their menus as the woman walked away from them.

"So who is she?" Barbara asked.

"Really, Barbara?" Dick picked up a menu.

"What?" Barbara said as she took hers.

"You know what I'm talking about." He said quietly.

"No, I- Oh..." She replied.

"Exactly," Dick nodded.

"I am not jealous." Barbara stated.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"Positive, I swear I'm not jealous." She replied.

"Her name's Marjie." Dick stated.

"How do you know her?" Babs asked.

"I've eaten at this place once or twice." He replied. A waitress had walked up to Dick and Barbara.

"Hi, guys, I'm Shannon and I'll be your waitress this evening." The young girl said in a New York accent. "Shall we start with drinks?"

"I think I'll just have a glass of water." Barbara replied.

"Me too." Dick stated. The girl nodded as she wrote it down in a notepad.

"Are you guys ready to order?" She asked. "Or do you want a few more minutes?"

Dick looked at Barbara. "Babs, are you ready to order?" He said.

"I'm in the mood for some California rolls." Barbara replied.

"I'll have old-fashioned sushi." Dick stated. She turned around and walked away after writing down their orders. Dick's phone rang. He reached into his pocket and answered the call. "Hello?" He said.

_"There's been a robbery at the Mint."_

It was _him._ Of course it was him. Dick put his hand over the mouthpiece and let out a silent, frustrated groan. "What do you want me to do about it?" Dick asked.

_"He's not too far from the mall, but he's taking a detour around it."_

"Where's he heading?" He said.

_"Crime Alley, but that's not important. Just try to cut him off. I'll meet you over there as soon as I can."_

"Got it." Dick nodded, ending the call. Barbara saw him frown and took note of the displeased look on his face.

"Who was it?" Barbara asked.

"Bruce," He replied.

"What did he want?" She said, pouting as if she knew the answer.

"He needs my _help_ with _something."_ Dick stated. Babs nodded with a disappointed sigh. They stood up from the booth just as the waitress brought them their food and drinks.

"Is something wrong Mr. Grayson?" She asked.

"Family emergency," Dick replied.

"Would you like me to wrap your food up to go then?" She offered.

"Yeah, and you can just give the check to Barbara." He nodded, handing some money from his wallet to Barbara.

"I'll see you later." Barbara told him. Dick nodded and he ran off.

* * *

Mar'i had gotten up to get drinks from the fridge and brought the glasses of soda over. "I've missed eating this so much." Mar'i said, getting another greasy slice. "The food on Tamaran is surprisingly delicious, but there are times when I miss having a normal slice of pizza."

"I don't doubt it." Iris said. "In my house, we have to rush to eat before my dad does or he'll just devour everything."

"He's Wally West, right?" Mar'i asked. "The Flash?"

"Yeah, he took up the mantle right after his uncle retired." Iris replied.

"OK, let's see if I got this straight: Lian's dad is Red Arrow, Tula's dad is Tempest; Tula has an older brother named Cerdian and you have a twin brother named Jai." Mar'i stated. "Am I right?"

"Nailed it right on the head." Tula nodded with a smile.

"Wait- So, so why do I remember a blond boy?" Mar'i asked.

"You're probably thinking about Robert; he's Donna Troy's son." Lian replied. "Donna was the first sidekick Wonder Woman ever had."

They all stopped their session of chatting, gossiping, and giggles when they heard a knock at the door. Mar'i got up. She walked out of the kitchen and toward the door. Mar'i undid the locks and opened the door. A man wearing a dark blue morph mask walked inside. Mar'i shut the door as the mask was taken off. Damian was panting like crazy as if he just ran a marathon, won, and ran all the way back to his apartment afterwards. "You have to stop wearing masks when you come here." Mar'i stated. "One day I might let in a burglar or something because I thought it was you."

"Well, we have to get going." Lian said as she and the other stood up from the table. They dumped their plates and glasses in the sink, taking turns washing their hands. They walked out of the kitchen.

"It was great to see you." Tula stated.

"Yeah, we should totally do this again." Iris added.

"We should." Mar'i agreed. They all took their turns giving Mar'i a hug before they left the apartment. Damian closed the door and locked it. He looked through the peep-hole, as if trying to spy on whoever walked past his apartment after the three girls had left. He sighed in relief. "Damian, what happened?" Mar'i asked.

"Cops... Batman... Nightwing," He panted.

"What did you do?" Mar'i folded her arms over her chest. Damian held up a brown sack and dropped it on the floor right in front of her feet. "Oh Damian, please don't tell me that you..."

"It took me a while to shake them off my trail." He stated as Mar'i opened the sack. "But losing Batman and Nightwing was a challenge."

"What the hell, Damian!?" She snapped, taking out a few hundreds from inside. "You robbed a fucking bank!?"

"Unfortunately, some people have to steal to survive; we are some of those people." He shrugged. "I need the money."

"For what?" She asked.

"I have to pay off debts... a lot of them." Damian said. Damian turned around to walk towards his bedroom. He felt a hand wrap grab him by the wrist.

"Wait-"

"What?" He had an annoyed look on his face.

"At least let me clean you up." Mar'i sighed.

"What do you mean?" Damian rolled his eyes

"Your forehead, it's bleeding." She stated. Damian touched around his forehead with his fingers, feeling something wet just inches away from his hairline. By then, Mar'i had already sat him down on the couch by then. "Do you have a first aid kit?"

"It's in the bathroom under the sink." Damian replied. She nodded and walked out of the room. Damian looked around his apartment. He noticed the changes. Mar'i reentered the living room, carrying a large white case with a red cross on it. She set it down on the desk and opened it. "What happened?" He asked.

"Do you like it?" She asked. "Lian had people come over and fix the apartment up a bit while we were at the mall. It was really nice of her to do this."

"It looks like some rich whore threw up all over it." Damian replied. Mar'i giggled silently as she got out a clear, cylinder bottle filled with clear liquid and a plastic bag filled with cotton balls. She opened the bottle and took out a cotton ball. Holding the cotton ball to the collar, she poured the liquid onto it.

"This might sting a little." Mar'i said as she gently dabbed the cotton ball on Damian's cut. He winced a little. But that was it. She put a little pressure on the cut in case it was still bleeding. But after a little while, Mar'i removed the cotton ball and replaced it with a Band-Aid. As Damian stood up, she noticed a dark maroon stain on the front of his hoodie. She called after him: "Wait! Take off your shirt and your hoodie and lay down on the couch."

She helped Damian take off his blood-stained t-shirt and hoodie. She was relieved that it was his blood and no one else's. She was more focused on the gash on the right side of his body. And, yet, she couldn't but blush a little when she saw his perfectly chiseled chest and his six pack. But she immediately looked away. "How did you get those?" Mar'i asked as Damian lay down on the couch so his wound was facing towards her, tracing over it lightly with the tip of her finger. Damian let out of silent groan.

"I broke through glass, but Batman got me with his batarang." He replied as she pressed a damp paper towel on his side.

"You are such an idiot." She sighed, shaking her head. There was a moment of silence as Mar'i kept remembering how to treat a wound. She searched through the kit, but found that there wasn't any iodine. "Do you think you can walk to the kitchen?"

"There isn't any iodine in there?" Damian said. Mar'i shook her head, removing the damp paper towel from his side. "I'm not sure if the water here is clean, but-."

"Lian told me she had a water filter installed; the kitchen's closer so we'll rinse your wound then." She stated. Damian made an attempt to sit up, hissing and wincing. Mar'i placed a hand on his chest. "Don't strain yourself, just take it easy... Baby steps."

She carefully helped Damian onto his feet and supported him as he walked into the kitchen. She turned on the faucet and began rinsing the gash out with water. It was only for a little while though. Mar'i turned the faucet off afterwards. "Do you think Batman and Nightwing will find you?" She asked him as she helped him back to the couch.

"I don't know, I led them halfway into Crime Alley and I was wearing that mask." He replied. Mar' helped lay him back down on the couch. She looked at his wound. Mar'i looked into it. She couldn't definitely see a lot of exposed flesh. And it didn't look like it could be pinched or pulled together easily.

"You'll need stitches." Mar'i replied, pulling out a needle. "Do you some matches and a fishing line?"

"The matches are in the drawer under the sink and the fishing line is behind door at the very end of the hallway." Damian nodded. Mar'i left the living room for a while. But she came back with a box of matching and the fishing line. Mar'i opened the box and pulled out a match, handing both to Damian.

"Can you light that up for me please?" She asked. Damian nodded. Mar'i sighed as Damian quickly set the match on fire. She grabbed it and held the needle over the dancing flames. Afterwards, she just blew out the match and started threading the needle with the fishing line. "This is gonna hurt so try not to move." Mar'i stated. "We also don't want to draw any attention to ourselves, so you're going to have to be as quiet as you possibly can."

Damian nodded, sucking in a breath as he felt Mar'i digging the needle into his skin, far away from the wound, pulled it out when it reached the over side of the wound from underneath. He felt the fishing line move under his skin as he winced and hissed in pain. Every quarter of an inch, she'd stop sewing to cut line with a pair of scissors and tie a knot. Then she'd start sewing again and it started all over again. It was a pattern.

Damian was still hissing in pain as Mar'i continued sewing. It was a pretty fast process, but it still hurt. Especially when she'd clean his wound with alcohol before starting to sew again. It burnt like hell. It was like burning your hand on a stove or accidentally touching a toaster, but worse. Eventually, Mar'i finally finished and she tied the last knot. She cut the fishing line and picked out bandaging tape from the first aid kit. "You're gonna have to stand up." Mar'i stated. Damian nodded, making an effort to get up as Mar'i helped him. She wrapped the bandage on the wound and around until she felt it was secured. Mar'i ripped the bandage and placed everything back in the first aid kit. She walked out of the room with the kit. Mar'i walked into the bathroom and placed the kit back in the cabinet under the sink.

The living room was silent when Mar'i walked back in. She dreaded the silence. It was so foreign. Mar'i had taken the liberty of stashing the money, by Damian's request, in a secret compartment in the dresser in their room. Damian was staring down at the floor as he sat on the couch. Meanwhile, Mar'i was still standing while her fingers fiddled around with her hair. "We need to find jobs."

Mar'i gently sat down on the couch. She looked at Damian. Their eyes met and a rush of emotion surged through her body. "What?" Mar'i asked.

"Money doesn't last forever." Damian replied. "We'll have to patch up the hole every time we spend it on something. I found us a place to work while I out. There aren't many jobs available in Gotham, but I managed to find us one. It's not too far from here; it's club. I found it walking over to the apartment down an alley. They're looking for bartenders, waiters, waitresses, dancers, and all that stuff."

"A club?" Mar'i repeated. "As in a nightclub? Like the ones in Gotham's red-light district?"

Damian nodded.

"We're not even old enough to be in a club, so what makes you think they'll hire us?" She sighed exasperatedly.

"They'll hire us because we'll know what is we're doing." He said. Mar'i shook her head. "They'll hire you because they're blind."

"I don't know, Damian." Mar'i sighed. "I'm not so sure I can do it. I spent an entire year being forced to strip and give pleasure against my will. I'm finally free and I don't think I want to go back to that."

"You won't have to give sex." Damian replied. "Tell them that you have a 'look, but don't touch' policy and that you'll walk if they don't comply. You don't mind stripping and giving lap-dances, but anything further is a big 'No' in your book. You'll be able to buy yourself a car, more clothes... your own apartment with your own bed, bathroom, kitchen, furniture... "

Damian was making great suggestions and his argument was very good too. And Mar'i knew it. But, looking at it from his point of view, the job seemed like it had a lot to offer. It was tempting. Too tempting. She didn't know what to do. If she took up that job, it would go against everything she suffered to get: Her freedom. Then again, who ever said freedom was free?

Damian was right; it was a quick way to earn money. "I know I'm gonna regret this, but I'll do it." Mar'i stated.

And then glass shattered. Damian immediately put on his mask.

* * *

**_Minutes Earlier..._**

He was crouched down on the top of a building. The man donned a dark gray costume with the symbol of a bat on the chest and black spandex, black gloves with fins on the outer side, boots and a black cape. He also wore also a black cowl designed with bat-like ears and a black utility belt.

Batman adjusted the focus on the binoculars as he looked through the window on the other building. Batman made out two people inside the apartment. A boy and a girl, both with dark hair. They both were probably both in their teen years. "Anyone else inside there?" A voice behind him asked. The other man wore a black unitard with a blue bird, its wings expanded, emblazoned on the chest and a light gray abdomen. He donned a set consisting of a pair of black shoulder pads, boots and gloves. A black utility belt was wrapped around his waist and a black holster was strapped on the side of his right leg.

"Just them." Batman replied.

"Any adults?" Nightwing said.

"If there was an adult inside that apartment, they would've shown up by now." Batman stated. "It looks like they live together."

"That doesn't sound like a great idea." Nightwing commented. "Think their married?"

"They're too young to be married." Batman replied. "The girl looks like she's sixteen."

"So... what makes you think it's that boy?" He asked.

"Only ten people live in this entire building." He explained. "None of the other building's inhabitants match the height, weight, skin color, or body structure. He fits into all four categories. And the tracker we placed on him led us here."

Batman kept looking through the window with his black binoculars, keeping tabs on both the girl and the boy. He wasn't looking for much. Just the mask on the thief they were hunting down. After a while, Batman stood up from his crouched position. "He has the mask." Batman stated. He handed Nightwing the binoculars. Nightwing looked through them as Batman reach for his utility belt and pulled out a gun. Nightwing followed by taking out a gun from his utility belt. Batman put the pair of binoculars away. Nightwing and Batman both pulled back on the triggers on their guns with their index fingers. Immediately, high-tensile cords claw with claw-shaped projectiles shot out of the guns. The claws latched onto the surface above the window, allowing them to be able to crash through it without any difficulties.

Batman jumped off the building first and immediately swung towards the window. His legs went through first, shattering the glass, and then his body followed. Nightwing had entered a few a few seconds after Batman. The cords retracted into the gun and both men put the grapple guns away.

* * *

Damian whipped out a pistol from the pocket of his pants, aiming it both heroes. Mar'i stood behind him, looking very much disheveled appearance-wise. "What took you guys so long?" Mar'i watched Damian as he began taunting them. "Hide 'n seek isn't supposed to take this long."

"We agreed that home was off-limits." Nightwing said. He was about to lunge at Damian when Damian did the unexpected. Mar'i's eyes widened as she, still wearing the hologram ring, was thrust forward after Damian grabbed her ring. Damian took hold of her. Mar'i stiffened when she felt one end of the pistol being placed over her chest and the other on the side of her head.

"Just relax." Damian subtly whispered into her ear. "It's a bluff. I'm not actually going to shoot you. Hopefully, they won't call my bluff."

* * *

"Hands up." The boy stated, firmly placing his index fingers tight on the trigger. "You have two choices; get out and leave us alone or she gets it both way. Either way, it'll end badly."

By the tone of his voice, he wasn't kidding. Batman and Nightwing stood up straight with their hands up in the air. A shiny, sleek black glint caught Nightwing's eyes. He watched as Batman carefully and quietly opened a pair of batarangs in between his index and middle finger. "We'll leave you alone." Batman stated. The boy slowly began lowering his gun. Batman fired the batarangs, knocking both guns out of the boy's hands. But one of them had sliced through the skin on the palm of the boy's right hand. The girl fell out of the boy's hold as Nightwing lunged at him. But the boy moved out of the way. Batman had aimed his fist at the boy's face but the boy kept using his arms to block. Batman would try punching and kicking at different places but each time the boy blocked. Until Batman finally kicked the boy in the gut. He felt someone tug back on his arm as he moved to continue attacking the boy. Batman yanked his arm back without even looking over his shoulder. But he heard someone fall behind him. He could only guess it was the girl trying to defend the boy, despite being used somewhat as a hostage.

Nightwing held his ground after the boy attempted to get him off his feet. He punched the boy square in the face. The boy stumbled. He shot a bullet from his gun. Nightwing dodged as bullets kept following him after his dodge. Just before another gunshot was fired, Nightwing had executed an uppercut. He used his eskrima sticks for the following attacks but the boy used his arms once again as a way to block. The boy pulled the trigger on one of the pistols and fired a gunshot towards Nightwing's face. But Nightwing avoided it and immediately swept his leg under the boy's feet. The boy had lost his balance and he fell to the ground for a second before picking himself back up. "I've had enough of this." The boy said, reaching into his pockets.

He pulled something out and dropped it onto the floor. And the room was shrouded in thick, white smoke. The smoke slowly faded and it eventually cleared up. By then, the apartment was completely bare. The boy and the girl had left in the smoke, taking everything with them. "That was her... wasn't it?" Batman asked, referring to the girl.

"Yeah... that was her." Nightwing nodded as they left the apartment empty-handed.

* * *

**DUN DUN DUN! Well... I say this was a pretty good chapter. Not sure if I'm being honest with myself or I'm just bullshitting myself. Either way, I'd still like to hear what _you_, the readers, thought. Please leave a comment. Criticism is always appreciated, flames aren't. R&amp;R! See ya!**

_**~L. Dylan~**_


	6. Chapter 5

**Thanks for all the reviews! I really appreciate them and I enjoy reading all your comments.  
**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TEEN TITANS OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS! They all belongs to DC Comics/Universe and Warner Bros. I do, however, own the plot.******  
****

**_~Broken Bonds~_**

* * *

**_~CHAPTER 5~_**

* * *

They yawned as they returned to the apartment. They had waited hours to make sure the coast was clear. Damian had searched every nook and cranny to make sure Batman hadn't planted cameras of any sort in the apartment. He had found a few and immediately disposed of them. Mar'i walked into the bedroom, still feeling a bit shaken by the previous events. She shut the door and grabbed the hem of her shirt, lifting it over her head. Mar'i opened the dresser drawer on the right side of the bed and slipped into a silky black-laced tank top with thin straps and a pair of matching black silk shorts. She opened the door to find Damian standing behind it. "What?" She snapped. "Going to blow my brains out for real this time?"

"I thought I told you to get over it." Damian rolled his eyes.

"Well, then, I'm sorry I can't be unfazed by threats on my life like you do." Mar'i retorted. "As it seems, Damian, I'm never going to get over it."

"Look, I didn't shoot you and you're not dead." He replied. "That should be enough."

"That's the thing, Damian!" Mar'i exclaimed. "I can't help but wonder: Would you have still done it anyways? I can't trust you."

"I can't trust you ever." Damian stated.

"I have _never_ held a _gun_ to _your_ head just to make costumed freaks back off!" Mar'i snapped. "I don't care if it was just a bluff. Trying looking at scenario from my point of view and then tell me what you think about that. Scratch that- Tell me how you'd _feel_ about it. It seems to me that you don't regret anything you've done so far. Do you even feel guilty about putting me in that position?"

"Would you be quiet if I apologized?" Damian sighed.

"It doesn't matter if you don't genuinely mean it, Damian." Mar'i shook her head. "Just because you say you're sorry, doesn't mean you actually mean it. If you meant, then you would never do something like that ever again."

"A lecture from the moral compass." Damian huffed as he rolled his eyes. "_Great_."

Mar'i glared. "I'm not lecturing you." She said. "I'm giving you advice, which is to be honest. If you can't be honest with anyone, then you're probably not being honest with yourself to begin with. I mean you've probably told yourself so many things that you don't even know what's true and what has been just a total lie."

Damian fell silent. Mar'i shot him a pointed look as if she had won the argument. Mar'i sat down on the bed, crossing her bare legs and long, silky black hair cascading over her shoulders. She slipped off her hologram ring and placed it on the night table by the lamp. Mar'i folded her arms over her chest. "Fine." Damian said as he abruptly left the bedroom. Mar'i gently bit down on her bottom lip as she watched Damian leave. She felt her cheeks grow damp and it was then that she knew she was crying.

All the pent-up emotions she had kept bottled up during the previous events were suddenly released in a flow of tears. It was hard. Mar'i wondered how she was able to keep herself from crying when she was on board the Gordanian ship. She never had the time to just cry to herself. On the Gordanian ship, she was constantly by the captain's side. When he was down with her, she immediately fell asleep to regain energy for the next time.

Mar'i dried up her tears, finding that she had let every tear from the past year up until just recently flow. The pain and the loneliness still lingered. Mar'i could feel it, but she could also feel that she would be just fine.

**_~.~_**

Mar'i woke abruptly in the middle of the night. Everything was in total darkness. The only source of light was the eerie glow of the pale white moon that crept through her windows, passed the blinds. Mar'i let out a silent cough. Her throat felt dry and it was hard to produce any sound pass the lump at the very back. Mar'i got up from the bed and walked out of the room. She stumbled once or twice as she made her way down the hall. Her feet silently padded against the floorboards as she entered the kitchen. She grabbed a glass from the dish rack and filled it halfway with water. She took a sip and was about to walk back down the hall when she spotted Damian sleeping on the couch. She could see him shivering from where she stand. Being a Tamaranean-hybrid, she didn't have to worry about being cold since she was like her own personal heater. However, Damian was full human. Human couldn't withstand the cold like she could. She gently grabbed him by his hand and pulled him. He stirred fully awake. "What?" He yawned.

"Share the bedroom with me." Mar'i stated. Damian gave her a look of disbelief.

"I'm fine." Damian said. "Now, let me go back to sleep. Unlike you, I have to get up early."

"You're cold." She glared. "Don't tell me you're not, because I saw you shivering. If you stay out here, you'll get sick. Besides, I don't like having the bedroom to myself."

"Will you shut up if I agree?" He sighed. Mar'i nodded. Damian rolled his eyes and stood up. "Fine."

Damian followed Mar'i as she walked into the bedroom and climbed onto the bed. He took the left side as Mar'i laid down on the right. They turned their backs to one another. Damian could feel the heat radiating from Mar'i body, causing him to feel drowsy and, ultimately, he fell asleep.

**_~.~_**

Mar'i sighed as hot air brush her ear, his head resting on the crook of her slender neck. An arm was draped across her waist, holding her closely to his body. Their legs were tangled together underneath the sheets. Mar'i snuggled closer the form behind her. Simultaneously, their eyes fluttered open. Mar'i gasped as Damian shot right out of the bed. Mar'i braided her hair over her shoulder as Damian coughed awkwardly, both their faces looking extremely flushed. "It... um... It could have been worse." Mar'i shrugged. "We could be like those everyday teens who drink and get high then wake up the next morning in a random person's bed without a single memory of what happened the previous night."

"I suppose..." Damian nodded in agreement. "However, I think it's best if we set some time aside today and discuss this later."

"OK." Mar'i replied. "I'll go see what I can make for breakfast."

Mar'i grabbed a short black silk robe that hung on the back of the bedroom door and walked out of the room as she tied the sash around her waist tightly. Mar'i entered the kitchen and opened up the fridge, scanning the inside to figure out what to cook. She pulled out a carton of eggs and a gallon of milk. She then opened the pantry closet and took out a box of pancake mix. "I'm making scrambled eggs and pancakes." Mar'i decided as she set the things on the counter by the stove. Damian walked into the kitchen, dressed in a pair of black jeans with a dark blue zip-up hoodie over a white t-shirt and a brand new pair of black sneakers. As Mar'i made their breakfast, Damian sat down at the table.

The silence was killing Mar'i as the frying pan sizzled over the flames. After a few more minutes, breakfast was ready. The plates, glasses, and utensils were already set up. Damian had his own mug of steaming coffee in his hand. Mar'i brought over a large stack of pancakes and a plate full of scrambled eggs. Mar'i cleared her throat as she sat down at the table. "We're going over to apply for those jobs later, right?" She asked.

"I was about to bring that up." Damian nodded. "When we go over, we're going to have put on a huge act. We have act professional and you definitely have to look professional. They won't care how I look because I'll be working tables, but mainly behind the bar."

"How am I going to pull that off?" Mar'i asked. "I don't know how someone would act professional when applying for a job at nightclub or even dress when they go to apply."

"Maybe we should work on that when I get back then." Damian sighed.

"Good idea." Mar'i agreed.

* * *

"Thanks, Jeanie." Dick smiled appreciatively as Bruce's middle-aged secretary opened the door for him. He stepped into Bruce Wayne's office at the very top of Wayne Enterprises. Jeanie closed the door behind him.

Dick slowly approached his adoptive-father's desk and sat down on the chair positioned in front of it. Bruce was busily filling out a form of some sort before he set it aside and looked up at Dick. Dick raised an eyebrow. "You wanted to see me?" Dick asked.

"I did, and it's about something that we really need to discuss." Bruce replied. "Diana, Clark, Jon... They've all been hounding me about it. And it's something you are very well-aware of"

Dick let out a groan when he realized what Bruce was referring to. The palm of his hand collided with his forehead. "There's nothing to discuss." Dick stated. "I've told Wally that since the beginning of all this."

"That was your _daughter_ with that criminal." Bruce narrowed his eyes down at his former protégé. "For all we know, she could be sleeping with him. I may not know a lot about being a parent, but I would want to beat the crap out of that guy. I would be concerned. I figured _you'd_ be a better father than I could ever be. If I recall, my lack of parenting skills were the exact reason why you took up the Robin mantle. "

"I'll talk to her when I'm ready and I feel like Babs can handle it." Dick stated. "The last thing I want to do it screw things up."

"I know, but I'm saying you should do it quick before that girl does something that could risk her life." Bruce replied. "A kid needs their parents in their life, no matter how much they say they resent or hate them, or say they don't need them."

* * *

The vanity set Lian had bought for Mar'i was massive. All the cosmetics they had bought were neatly organized in the drawer by their brands. Perfumes were set out on the table along with a hairbrush, vase of pink roses, and an accessory rack. Mar'i sat on the comfy, cushioned stool as she stared at her own reflect while brushing her hair. Her braided her hair and placed it behind her. She wore a black sequined miniskirt that flared at her hips and ended at her mid thighs with a gold satin halter top and a pair of glittery black stiletto platforms. Her legs donned a pair of sheer black over-the-knee tights that were attached to simple black garters. "Now what should I do?" Mar'i asked herself, having thoroughly washed and exfoliated her flawless, unblemished face. She began rummaging through the drawers, finding exactly what she was looking for.

Moisturizer, foundation, concealer, and mineral powder were applied to her contoured and highlighted face. Her perfectly arched eyebrows were brush, combed, and filled in with an eyebrow pencil. She had applied natural smokey eye shadow and lined her eyes with liquid eyeliner to form a perfectly even cat-like effect. Finally, she defined her lips with a lip liner and dabbed them with peachy-pink lipstick. She glossed her lips over with clear lip-gloss and dusted the apples of her cheeks with a light rosy blush. Mar'i looked in the mirror at the final product as she took down her braid. She smiled at herself, batting her heavily mascaraed eyelashes. "Not bad, Grayson." Mar'i told herself as she placed a sequined black beret on top of her head. "Not exactly amazing, but decent. I guess those months of constantly applying makeup have actually been useful."

Mar'i heard the door open and the close shortly afterward. Feet made their way closer to the bedroom, taking their time down the hall first. Damian walked into the room just as Mar'i put on a mini black faux fur shrug. Mar'i stood up from her seat and slipped on her hologram ring. "You're ready?" He asked. Mar'i nodded. "Do me a favor and follow my lead when we get there. We want to play it off cool. The more we play it up, the harder it'll be for them to turn us down."

"OK, I think I got this." Mar'i breathed as she put on a pair of black-and-gold Gucci sunglasses and grabbed a black velvet quilted Chanel handbag. Her stiletto heels clicked against the floor as she walked out of the room with Damian not too far behind her.

**~.~**

The club was still somewhat in the process of being set up when Mar'i and Damian arrived. It was barely empty with only a few people helping out. A handsome, lean, balding middle-aged was giving out specific orders when he noticed the two teens. He made his way over to them, navigating through the chaos. "Eddy Barnes, at your service." He stated. "What can I do you for?"

"We are looking for Big E." Damian replied. "We have some business we'd like to discuss with him."

"Well, if you're looking Big E, then you just found him." The man grinned.

"You're Big E?" Mar'i peered over her sunglasses, placing a hand on her jutted out hip.

"That's right, I am." He nodded. "Now, if you wanna talk business, then we should sit down."

He motioned for them to follow as he sat down at one of the tables. Mar'i and Damian exchanged glances before they followed after him. Mar'i latched onto Damian's arm as the approached the table and finally sat down. "Before we get started, why don't you introduce yourselves?" Big E stated.

"Damian Parker."

"Maria Johnson." Mar'i replied.

"OK, now let's start with why you're looking for Big E." Big E said.

"We're going to cut to the chase and say that we need cash." Damian replied. "You see, we heard that you're looking for people to work and we are willing to lend our services."

"What can you do?" He asked.

"I'm good at working tables and fixing up drinks." Damian replied. "Maria's a dancer. Highest-paid worker in Vegas."

Mar'i rolled her eyes behind her glasses. "She's that good, eh?" Big E raised an eyebrow.

"The best of the best." Damian stated. "I guarantee that you'll make a lot of money off of her."

"If she was earning a lot of cash, then why did you guys move to Gotham?" Big E asked.

"A lot of animosity." Damian shrugged. "Maria worked her ass off while the other girls gave half-assed performances. They weren't happy that Maria was making more than them, getting a lot of attention, and receiving special treatment, so they threatened to quit. We left. A friend of ours told us about this place, so we decided to give it a shot.

"Well, then, I'm glad you came to me." Big E grinned. "Now, let's-"

"Wait- There is a catch." Damian quickly interjected. Big E's grin fell into a frown.

"What's the catch?" Big E asked.

"Maria has a strict 'look, but don't touch' policy." Damian replied. "She's willing to give lap dances and be paid for escort services, but nothing further than that or she walks. She's had a few clients who became rough with her, so make sure your patrons keep their hands to themselves and there won't be a problem. Anyone who gives her a problem will have to deal with me."

"No sex means no customers, no customers means no money, and no money means we go out of business." Big E stated. "If all she's just gonna is give damn lap-dances and strip, then forget about it. Go find someplace else to hire you. Nobody's gonna go to a no-sex club."

"Fine, then, I'll do it." Mar'i replied. "For a high price, though of course. I want double the amount you plan on paying other prostitutes and the like... My own dressing room too. If I sense any funny business, then I walk. I got offers in Vegas to do what I do best."

"Alright, so say I hire you, what will you do in return?" Big E asked.

"Think about it: A large crowd coming every night to this tiny dump with pockets full of cash and checkbooks ready." Mar'i stated. "That should be enough for you. You give me the job, I'll give you customers."

"Fine, you both are hired." Big E replied. "There's just one problem: Maria is nice and all, but it isn't going to do on the stage. You'll need a better name."

"Cassandra Sinclair." Mar'i said. "That'll be my new name."

"Nice." Big E grinned approvingly. "Now, since you both were hired first, I think we can make a few accommodations and special deals."

Mar'i peered over her glasses, exchanging sly glances with Damian. Damian smirked. "We're listening..."

* * *

Koriand'r hadn't stopped crying ever since Mar'i had given herself up for the safety of the women and children of Tamaran. While Koriand'r couldn't have been more proud of her daughter's bravery and maturity, she was sad. Mar'i went in with a confident look, but, as the door closed, Koriand'r could see that same confident look break into a look of great fear and sadness. It broke her heart. Her daughter went in a brave teen and would most likely return a broken woman... "This is my fault." She sobbed. "I am a terrible mother. I should not have brought her with me. I should have left her on Earth with Dick. Our little starshine is gone. X'Hal, Dick would be so furious if he were to-"

"Please, sister, do not grieve." Ryand'r interjected, patting his sister on the back comfortingly.

"Who knows what torture Mar'i probably endured on that ship?" Koriand'r stated. "She is probably enduring much worse as we speak."

"My niece is a strong, proud, stubborn young woman." Komand'r commented as she entered the tent. "She can handle herself. When we win this war, the first thing we will do is get Mar'i back."

"Mar'i may be strong, but she is not that strong." Koriand'r stated. "They say that the _proudest_ spirit can be broken... with love, that is. However, I doubt that Mar'i received any love aboard the ship. She may have been forced to _'give love'_, but she will never be _given_ love. Do not underestimate the fragility of the mind as I have learned through my experiences on Earth."

"Still, we will not give up until we win Mar'i's freedom." Ryand'r replied.

"No, we will not." Koriand'r agreed as she dried up her tears, a determined look on her face.

* * *

**R&amp;R! Please leave a comment. Criticism is always appreciated, flames aren't. See ya!**

_**~L. Dylan~**_


End file.
